BBC Reports on Pirates of Aden
John Burnett, Author of Dangerous Waters and former pirate kidnap victim, basically said there is no military solution for the Somali pirates. It's more cost-effective to just pay the ransom.
I say that if the international community is not willing to pay the cost to end anarchy and piracy now, this will only embolden pirates.
Already they've hijacked an oil tanker that is the size of a skyscraper and, according to Burnett, takes MILES to come to a stop. What started with bitter idiot fishermen has now expanded to any young men in Somalia looking to make a fast buck.
I detect a pattern here, where the international community is unwilling to rebuild a nation after war. Look at Afghanistan after the Soviets were defeated (see Charlie Wilson's War for a quick intro): the U.S. failed to rebuild the infrastructure in the late 80's.
Look at Iraq: the U.S. is highly criticized for the rebuilding process, even though historical precedent teaches us that if we don't rebuild, the results are disastrous.
Somalia, according to Burnett, has had no government for 18 years. Government is a necessary evil; the U.N. must get over the events that led to Blackhawk Down and do whatever it takes to rebuild that nation.
Either that, or ex-punk rockers who espoused anarchy can move to Somalia and live that life. After they step off the plane and get kidnapped, maybe then the U.N. will consider my call to action.
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BBC news also reported that kidnapped Filipinos don't like Somali food. The pirates, flush with money, have set up kitchens that cook Filipino meals for the captives. They want to keep their captives healthy so they can collect the ransom.
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I, too, refuse to accept paying ransom is the only solution.
Thanks for the analysis; the U.N. needs to do its job.
I look forward to interviewing Jolan soon!