The Seven Ways to Stop Piracy Now that the rush of excitement has subsided from the made- for- TV drama of the rescue of Captain Phillips, we are left with the more sobering long- term question of what to do about Somali piracy. Whether piracy constitutes a serious national security threat is a subject of debate. But there is no question that piracy off the Somali coast is now an important symbolic political issue for both the Obama administration and its critics.

This Woman Told Humans Of New York About Leaving Her Abusive Relationship. Humans of New York never fails to elicit emotion. This post also hails from HONY. Kotaku elder, lover of video games, toys, snacks and other unsavory things. If you’ve played Mario Kart 8 you were probably so focused on trying to finish in the top four that you never had time to look around and take in the view.

Buying, selling, or renting a home shouldn't be painful. At Trulia, our goal is to make it simpler.

The Obama administration does not want conservative opponents to portray it as weak on defense or unwilling to use force to protect American interests, and so cannot afford to embrace passive policies on piracy. Yet the piracy issue is replete with traps, a seemingly simple problem with seemingly simple solutions, all of which could easily backfire and make things worse. And certainly, none of them offers a quick fix. Live with piracy as an unavoidable nuisance.

Approaching piracy as a chronic problem to be managed rather than a war to be won is a deeply unsatisfying position, and is easy to attack politically. Yet there is a case to be made that the United States and the international community have overstated the threat of Somali piracy. Somali hijackers earned between $3.

Gulf of Aden. To give this sum some perspective, for example, last week I attended a conference on piracy in Washington D. C., and stayed at a hotel that was proudly announcing a $1. The risk of any one ship being pirated is still low; their crews, ships, and cargo are returned safely; and the ransom fees are manageable. A military rescue, by comparison, is much riskier to the crew and will raise insurance costs considerably, as insurance companies will have to factor in the possibility of injuries and loss of life to crew and ensuing lawsuits.

But the ransom amounts themselves do not justify a military response. Prevent or deter piracy with naval patrols and convoys. This is the current policy, which has led to an impressive flotilla of naval vessels from more than a dozen countries around the world patrolling the waters. Cargo ships passing through the Gulf of Aden can even avail themselves of naval convoys for some protection.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement has repurposed cellphone tracking technology typically used in criminal investigations to track down at least one immigrant for. After the literal garbage fire that was the Galaxy Note 7, Samsung’s upcoming flagship phablet needs to be more than just a big Galaxy S8 with a stylus. The Seven Ways to Stop Piracy. Make Appointment For Drivers Test Mn Scheduling. And why none of them will work as well as we might hope. By Ken Menkhaus Ken Menkhaus is a professor of political science at Davidson. TheINQUIRER publishes daily news, reviews on the latest gadgets and devices, and INQdepth articles for tech buffs and hobbyists.

The waters are too vast, the cargo ships too numerous, and the risk- reward calculation too tempting for Somali pirates. Even in rare instances when naval vessels are close enough to interdict a piracy attack, there are enormous complications associated with firing on suspected pirate ships, especially when pirates use mother ships — captured dhows or fishing vessels with innocent fishermen aboard. There are also continuing complications revolving around the legal dispensation of suspects once captured. Though Kenya has agreed to consider handling trials of captured pirates, the ability of the already strained Kenyan judiciary to handle additional, complex case loads remains a matter of concern. Arm the cargo ships. Giving sailors guns seems like an obvious solution.

But this would face major resistance from shipping companies, who dont want to deal with the added security risks, costs, and legal liability that all follow from having armed security on board their cargo ships. There are many legal concerns involved here, not least of which is the prospect of having the ship impounded and the crew arrested and charged for firing on an innocent vessel. Insurance costs would escalate considerably if armed guards were placed on ships. And until shipping companies would rather insure against pirates than pay their ransoms (as is the case now), this option is simply not on the table. Take the war to the pirate lairs on shore.

We know where the pirates strongholds are — in several coastal villages in northeastern Somalia. Some are calling for the Obama administration to create disincentives for the pirates by bombing their land bases. This is very appealing as an offensive (rather than defensive) approach to the piracy plague, and it is particularly attractive to those who are trying to reshape the low risk, high reward calculus that drives piracy today.

In the first place, airstrikes on the pirates lairs are unlikely to succeed; the pirates will simply reorganize, scatter into new locations, and return to work. Second, this tactic puts at severe risk the more than 2.

American — currently held for ransom in Somalia. Third, land strikes on these villages will almost certainly result in civilian casualties among the many villagers living there.

How many Somali lives should be sacrificed in an attempt to end a $3. No doubt Somalis will come up with a figure different from our own. At present, Washington is backing a unity government, led by moderate Islamists, in a delicate political situation in the Somali capital, Mogadishu.

Several years of fierce anti- Americanism and radicalism have subsided in Somalia (for now), precisely because the U. S. The dangerous jihadi movement, al- Shabaab, has lost its momentum and, for the first time since 2.

Somalis react fiercely to foreigners attacking their own, especially on Somali soil. They do not share the view that the pirates are criminals. In fact, many Somalis see the pirates as a coast guard protecting their shores from illegal foreign fishing. A military response on shore risks enflaming anti- Americanism in Somalia again, playing right into the hands of al- Shabaab and its external patron, al Qaeda. Hence an on- shore military approach to piracy runs the strong risk of setting back broader U. S. Combating terrorism and extremism is of much greater importance and needs to be privileged over attempts to halt the pirates.

Attack the commanding heights of piracy by going after the financiers, not the pirates. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced U. S. On paper this is an excellent idea. The pirates are, as Clinton suggested, funded by powerful financial backers who earn a lions share of the ransoms, and it would be ideal to squeeze them until they cease their involvement. Unfortunately, tracking the flow much of anything — let alone money inside Somalia is exceptionally difficult. In a country that depends so heavily on remittances, it also risks criminalizing a good portion of the population. Force Pkg Register Make Installment. Many Somalis also indirectly or directly see a cut of the ransom money flow through their hands in the residual coastal economy.

Somalis are very adept at moving this cash informally and will evade efforts to track them. Stop paying ransom. By depriving pirates of the financial gains accruing from their crime, the criminal behavior will stop. The trouble with this option is that the shipping industry wants its crew, ships, and cargo returned safely. Shipping companies compelled not to pay ransom would face huge losses and possible lawsuits. And who is willing to be responsible for placing all those hostages at risk?

That combination of ransom refusal would have to be paired with military rescue in order to have an effect. But talk about risky; if it went awry and many hostages died, the consequences would be considerable. Finally, few of the type of ships in question sail under the stars and stripes; the United States has no real means to influence them. Back a government in Somalia that will eliminate piracy as a matter of on- shore law enforcement. Everyone agrees that this is the only viable long- term solution. Most also concur, however, that it will be a slow, gradual process in a country that has had no functioning central government in 1. In two separate instances, local Somali political authorities have put a quick end to piracy.

One case is in Somaliland, the secessionist polity in northwest Somalia. There, authorities have been keen to prevent piracy off their shores as a way to demonstrate Somalilands utility and capacity to the international community, with the aim of earning international recognition. Likewise, in 2. 00.