Here There Bee (More) Pirates…

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.