Quote:
Originally Posted by ratbastid
Um. How 'bout "You break it, you buy it"?
We've stood by and watched most of Africa wallow for the last decade or so. You have any idea how cheap it would be to get some of those countries stable, and the difference that would make for OUR national security?
But nah, let's putz around in Afghanistan for another five years.
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"We" as in the U.S. or "we" as in the western world? Nobody seemed all that concerned when other flagged ships were being hijacked, but when an American President authorizes American forces to use force if necessary to safeguard the life of an American citizen, it's all America's problem now? You must be kidding me.
This sounds like Six-Degrees-of-America where you're trying to trace international piracy back to something the U.S. did or failed to do in Somalia and I'm not buying it. If you want somebody to blame for Africa's decline, blame European colonialism before you blame American 'imperialism'
Contrary to your belief that it's cheap to stabilize a country, it isn't. Trying this on the cheap doesn't work. Trying to stabilize Afghanistan and Iraq on the cheap is why we're in the situation we are now. Fixing a nation is a heavy investment, and it should not have to fall on the shoulders of one country to do it.
On a side note, other than cost, what's stopping these shipping contractors from hiring private security firms to patrol onboard a freighter that's sailing those water?
---------- Post added at 06:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:44 PM ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nimetic
In my view - the shooting of the pirates is sub-optimal.
My view is not particularly significant. More important though is that many others will see the action as disproportionate and use this to validate their own biases.
I'd not want to be the next hostage.
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It's a no-win situation. If the pirates had killed the captain (while on a lifeboat towed by an American warship with American special forces within reach) that would be serious bragging rights and the'd be sure to dig up the ghosts of Blackhawk Down to taunt the U.S. and call us 'paper tigers'.
But now that we did take them out, they say we went too far. What would the proportionate action be? Continue to negotiate a stalemate? Wait until they harm the captain then respond? I don't think it's disproportionate at all.