The French have surprised us all by nabbing a boat load of Somali pirates. Though lacking silver buckled slippers and tight, shiny pants, these pirates are nonetheless the real thing. They go upon the seas and chase down ships engaged in commerce, climb aboard them with weapons, and commit crimes for the purpose of getting money. The U.S. Navy slew three of them, and now the French are contributing to the effort.
It’s good that at least these two governments are taking action to protect their people. That’s fundamentally what governments are constituted to do. It would be a couple of clicks better, however, if the owners of the ships would take up a bit of this responsibility for themselves. Many industries have to pay for their own security, including the one I work in (nuclear power).
I’m guessing that if U.S. flagged ships reliably started shooting back, the pirates would simply switch targets to something easier to steal. They’re in this for the money, after all, and it makes no business sense to try to rob the strong.
Post a Comment