The latest news report on the situation is here.  My thoughts:

• The only reason to drag this out is to allow the armed forces to gather intel on the pirates' operations.  Once they have sufficient intel to completely dismantle their operations, they should move to end the showdown.
• The pirates must not be allowed to move the captain to land, nor can they be allowed to transfer him to another vessel.  The military knows exactly where he is right now and that advantage cannot be handed away.
• The pirates want $2 million?  Our counter should be plain and simple:  Turn him over immediately and we'll let you live ... for now.  If you don't, we'll take no prisoners and you can either die fighting or be hung after capture.
• Once the immediate situation is resolved, which may unfortunately include the death of the captain, the forces built up in the area should give the warning that the shelling of pirate ports and vessels will commence after a reasonable time for people to leave the area.

The main complicating factor is that the pirates also hold hostages from other nations.  One hopes the administration is doing some behind-the-scenes work with their nations regarding that situation.  If the pirates attempt to bring those ships into play in the current standoff, it would create a huge set of additional problems, which makes prompt resolution of the standoff even more important.

America needs to send a very strong message that this activity will no longer be tolerated in any way, shape, or form.  Will we?  Probably not, as we've become so emotionally risk-averse as a nation, that securing the life of the captain will likely be our top priority, rather than doing our best to stop the pirates from committing more hijackings and hostage takings.  I sincerely hope the guy comes out of this in one piece, but it simply can't be our top priority.

Posted by: Hermit Dave at 02:01 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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