Why are the Somalis Pirates? Because they’re dirt poor and living in a failed state. Why wouldnt they risk this, there’s little chance of actual punishment. Mostly these guys were fishermen. Fishing was totaly trashed by ‘More developed’ nations over fishing their waters and polution.
Now I see its making a comeback as foreign boats start to avoid the place. Many of the first attacks were just to drive off foreign flagged fishing vessels inside the national limits. ie Foreigners exploiting the lack of a effective Somali State. But hey it PAYS and now everyone wants to get a peice of that action.

Landing, invasion, bombing runs? Good Luck. its a BIG place and killing civilians and famillies of ‘maybe pirates’ looks bad on air and forces the currently pretty agnostic pirates straight into the islamic millitants arms. Way to give Bin Laden a Navy!

Maybe if the west tried to stabalise the nation state, give people jobs and you know, the rule of law…it might help a bit. If there’s nothing to loose the cost of making it too dangerous to pirate is toooo high.

Wonder what Jefferson and Madison would think of they way we’re dealing with the pirates.

Well it’s been over a year now and the Pyrates (I’ve been spelling the word that way for years) are still winning. I say again once on the water all the Navies in the world can’t stop the Pyrates. They must be stopped on the beach.

If the Pyrates can’t find a way to get money for taking ships the will have to turn to other vocations, perhaps they would do better as politicians.

Cut out the middle men and it’s, oh wait you can do that, there are some firms that are to big to fail who a years ago the Bush administration bail out with $5 trillion in this Pyracy venture. It appears with sub-prime mortgages dead the speculators have had to look to alternative investments.

Let see the ransoms are in the $2–5 million range, the teenage Pyrates get about $20,000.00 each, maybe a Pyrate a crew will be 10, that’s a $200,000.00 in labor costs. Then there is capitalization, and incindental overhead (old AK-47’s, RPG-5’s, or do it on the cheap and give the Pyrates some very old Chicom Type 56 rifles and B-60/61 rocket launchers since most will likely be thrown over board anyways, Sat. Phones, some old 5–50 Khz. short wave communications equipment for the mother ship, fuel, drugs etc.) is, say maybe is another $100,000,00 lets be generous that $300,000.00 in cost. There is a nice bit of net profit in Pyracy with zero risk.

The place to stop the Pyrates is on Wall Street not out in the the Indian Ocean.

ALLONS,
Byron Skinner

If not, my suggestion would be to drastically cut back on those triple espressos with which you use to wash down those amphetamine tablets.

Keep up the good work, and above all stay alert.

Ciao.

Though now that I think about it, something like Vietnam’s brown water navy would work here. Work with somewhat bigger boats for enhanced blue water capability, swarm the water with small boats.

I guess the Perrys are going to have to do the job.