Here There Bee (More) Pirates… and Might the Obama Administration Take Them Out? By Kenneth Anderson at Opinio Juris
Somali pirates strike again, this time hijacking a Saudi-owned tanker off the coast of Kenya. The running stand off with the hijacked ship carrying arms and a Ukrainian crew continues; Russia announces that it repelled an attack on a different Saudi vessel...
Might piracy be a relatively easy place for the Obama administration to demonstrate its approach to use of force, multilateralism, and international law? No use of force question is ever truly easy - law of unintended consequences always in effect - but clearly this is a rising issue, and one in which the vessels of many nations have been attacked and continue at risk....
Much more at Opinio Juris - Kenneth poses some good questions at this post and is seeking those with operational experience to comment.
Comments (1)
These ships haul some pretty expensive cargo - certainly not pieces of eight or dubloons, but certainly some pricey booty. Why don't they have security? While the scurvy bilge rats in question may have been highly organized, I don't see how they would be much of a match for a handful of armed deck hands. The captured vessels are taller than the highest mizzenmast of any ship of scallywags that has boarded them. I would think that even a handful of lightly armed sprogs could send these corsairs to Davy Jones' locker, given the advantage of a higher deck and stabler platform.
Wouldn't this just be part of the expense of doing business? Just like security guards who drive a Brinks a truck?
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November 18, 2008 7:41 PM