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elionwyr, not romantic fictional pirates; real pirates.)
You Are Being Lied To About Pirates.
The upshot of that article is that the Somali situation is far more nuanced than it looks: in the absence of an official word from a central government, the Somali pirates are effectively a private coast guard with an "alternate revenue stream". Yes, they're raiding ships and collecting ransoms, but they're also driving off nuclear waste dumpers, toxic waste dumpers, and foreign fishing fleets.
I am not saying that this is justifiable, or should be lauded as some kind of libertarian ideal. Clearly, the lack of due process, the pillaging, and (most importantly) the killing cannot be allowed to stand.
But when Secretary of State Clinton says that "Our envoy will work with other partners to help the Somalis assist us in cracking down on pirate bases and in decreasing incentives for young Somali men to engage in piracy," she has to address the illegal toxic and nuclear waste dumping off the shores of Somalia, and the simultaneous overfishing (in toxic waters!) which is keeping poor Somalians hungry.
And as long as the "pirates" have the support of the common people on-shore, "cracking down on their bases" is not going to work.
elionwyr, not romantic fictional pirates; real pirates.)You Are Being Lied To About Pirates.
The upshot of that article is that the Somali situation is far more nuanced than it looks: in the absence of an official word from a central government, the Somali pirates are effectively a private coast guard with an "alternate revenue stream". Yes, they're raiding ships and collecting ransoms, but they're also driving off nuclear waste dumpers, toxic waste dumpers, and foreign fishing fleets.
I am not saying that this is justifiable, or should be lauded as some kind of libertarian ideal. Clearly, the lack of due process, the pillaging, and (most importantly) the killing cannot be allowed to stand.
But when Secretary of State Clinton says that "Our envoy will work with other partners to help the Somalis assist us in cracking down on pirate bases and in decreasing incentives for young Somali men to engage in piracy," she has to address the illegal toxic and nuclear waste dumping off the shores of Somalia, and the simultaneous overfishing (in toxic waters!) which is keeping poor Somalians hungry.
And as long as the "pirates" have the support of the common people on-shore, "cracking down on their bases" is not going to work.
