A last-ditch attempt to kick pirate booty
As a world conference on curtailing Somali piracy gets underway in Nairobi, the Bush administration announced today that it will push for international action — a last-ditch attempt to stabilize the East African nation. Good luck matey, you’ll need it. As Lt. Gen. Paul Van Riper tells FP in this week’s Seven Questions, it will ...
As a world conference on curtailing Somali piracy gets underway in Nairobi, the Bush administration announced today that it will push for international action -- a last-ditch attempt to stabilize the East African nation.
As a world conference on curtailing Somali piracy gets underway in Nairobi, the Bush administration announced today that it will push for international action — a last-ditch attempt to stabilize the East African nation.
Good luck matey, you’ll need it. As Lt. Gen. Paul Van Riper tells FP in this week’s Seven Questions, it will take weeks — maybe months — even to get coastal surveillance under control.
And then there is the problem of instability on land that drives the trade in ransom. The administration tried and failed in 2006 to bring a government of “good guys” to power. Halting piracy (a symptom of the same disease) won’t be any easier. Back then, the United States funneled money to the right people to set things in motion. Too late this time — ransom payments already keep the pirates rolling in the millions.
In short, this is no easy problem, and there are no modern fixes for the most medieval of scourges. Despite the 1,400 German soldiers pledged for the $1.4 million proposed project of anti-piracy, you just can’t buy time.
Lt. Gen. Paul Van Riper has the goods.
Photo: KHALED FAZAA/AFP/Getty Images
Elizabeth Dickinson is International Crisis Group’s senior analyst for Colombia.
More from Foreign Policy
No, the World Is Not Multipolar
The idea of emerging power centers is popular but wrong—and could lead to serious policy mistakes.
America Prepares for a Pacific War With China It Doesn’t Want
Embedded with U.S. forces in the Pacific, I saw the dilemmas of deterrence firsthand.
America Can’t Stop China’s Rise
And it should stop trying.
The Morality of Ukraine’s War Is Very Murky
The ethical calculations are less clear than you might think.
Sign up for World Brief
FP’s flagship evening newsletter guiding you through the most important world stories of the day. Delivered weekdays.
By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.