Obviously, some residents of Somalia have decided that the best paying employment for them is piracy. That is probably true, the ranson income the pirates have been collecting is larger than the gross national product of Somalia. It is also a fairly safe bet that a large part of the ransoms collected go toward funding terrorism around the world. This is a situation that is going to have to be dealt with sooner or later. I suggest sooner.
The New York has an editorial in its paper this morning stating its evaluation of the piracy problem. The editorial points out that the Maersk Alabama was the sixth vessel to be seized off the Horn of Africa in just the past week. The editorial also reminds us:
America is, and always has been, a maritime power.
Yes, the country is 3,000 miles wide -- but from a global-trade and national-
Certainly it was no coincidence that the country's first foreign military expedition -- and the inspiration for the "shores of Tripoli" reference in the
And the War of 1812 was fought essentially to contest British restrictions on free passage of the high seas.
No nation has seriously challenged US naval supremacy since the destruction of the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1945.
This is President Obama's time to prove that he can lead America in the world. There is an article in today's American Spectator reminding us of the history of three ocean hijackings against this country since the 1960's and how each sitting President handled each incident. The differences and the different results achieved might be a good thing to take a look at right now. If piracy is profitable and has little consequences, it will continue. If it is dealt with and becomes risky and unprofitable it will decrease. It is up to President Obama to decide which outcome he prefers.
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