There is only one good way to resolve the Somali Pirate problem long term. First we must all recognise that the pirate leaders have exhibited initiative, intelligence, leadership, daring, organising ability and a grasp of real economic reality - which is more than you can say of most state institutions elsewhere! What is required is a high-level delegation to go to Mogadishu (with pre-agreed sophisticated military protection and surveillance in place), and offer these pirate leaders and others safe conduct to negotiations to resolve their conditions to abandon their current actions in favour of alternatives: their own definitions for stability, security. commerce, training, employment etc along with the costs. Whatever the costs, these must be assessed realistically and paid from international resources.
These costs can be assessed alongside the alternatives of arming and training all mercantile shipping crews for active response or a punative military invasion of Somalia with isolating and the cordon and searching of the entire population and an imposed regime of Roman-style order. This could well prove a more expensive option. Unless this situation is gripped now, piracy could well erupt as a viable option elsewhere in response to current global economic trends.
Hesitation will only prove to the pirate leaders that our leaders are cowards who dare not seize the initiative. I think Russia could take the lead with such an initiative in an intellectual and sensitive manner; not over-reliant upon gun-ship mentality but on balanced, civilised judgements based upon the experience of her own long history. After all, although Stepan Rasin was considered a destabilising threat at the time, he also exhibited heroic qualities so admired today!
This is now a challenge to the Russia of Today. I feel sure that the British could co-operate in whatever way the organisers feel appropriate without resort to judgemental rhetoric. After all, we all, including USA and Germany, got together over the Boxer rebellion!
When possible, making Love not War can be the most powerful protection of all!
Have Riflemen on every Ship. Should any vessel or Boat enter your area shoot to kill. Pirates will use weapons on any ship, so why can't the ships gunmen use the same weapons on the Pirates as the Pirates use against inocent people?
Let the People of Somali know their free raids are over.
Why not arm every ship with a few .50 machine guns? It is nonsense that only pirates are allowed to have arms. Any pirate ship should be sunk. Do not capture them unless you are going to execute them.
The world court should allow and enforce any and all insurance judgements against the ship owners, for lack of pesonnel protection. We will then see the insurance companies allowing security protection for the ships. (I am in agreement with all the above opinions - minus one.)
I also think that security on the ships will do. Pirates are not professionals and small security groups on board of the trade ships can be of help. But it wouldn’t resolve the problem generally. You can kill the wasp but the hive will produce another ones.
This problem will remain for a long time. Pirates will continue to risk their lives for money. They are leaded by radical Islamic groups in Somaly which are very hard to control by the developed countries.
None military land operation could help in this case. Somaly people are ready to fight it.
One of the ways is to support the strongest and the most severe Islamic leader in Somaly. With the help of the US this leader can maintain something like order in this country. But here comes another problem: who guarantee the control of this leader in the future?
First minimazing the pirate's actions is the priority .
I think that the different Navies of different countries should establish two zones of "collections or gathering " where merchant shipping would congregate as a large convoy before being escorted up and down the Somali coast to the Suez canal and viceversa . . The military would be present at the collection zones and do the convoy escort work . There is already a sufficent military presence to do the job .
Secondly resolve the political and economic problems through african - and UN mediation and temporary assistance. The fact the Somalia hasn't got a government for many decades and the western nations have used Somalia to dump untreatable waste and refuses including radioactive material has something to do with the current situation . .
Reduce the port to rubble,destroy all fishing vessel of the coast of somali.ps can't see where the economic reality is by a comment,has the money giving to the pirates benefited the people of somali?.then get to the negoiating table to rebuild somali.
This might be my imagination, but watch the news carefully and see if you can see it.
It seems like there are Euro Pirates and Dollar Pirates!
France takes an American ally, and then America takes a French ally.
I think this is not piracy at all, its a Euro Dollar proxy war!
Which kind of explains why all these big mighty superpowers cant kill these little bugs, because they may as well just open fire on the other war ship.
The world has gone mad!
I think we need to round up all our world leaders, and send them to the funny farm, they all flipping cookoo ;)
This is what happens when presidents listen to bankers!
Theres probably a hidden hand behind this.
Perhaps they are getting foreign backing by foreign intelligence like the Tamil Tigers got.
Where do these pirates in third world Somalia that doesn't even have a functioning government able to get the logistic, communications and the expertise to hijack large vessels?
Perhaps they want a presence in Somalia so they can control the ports to smuggling in weapons through Ethiopia to militants in Darfur to stir up trouble so they can justify military intervention under "humanitarian" ground and have access to the oil there.
http://www.africaguide.com/afmap.htm
