A SEAL Team could take care of this BS...

[Jamisjockey]

Yeah, killing one 18 member pirate crew and rescuing one ship is not going to save the next super tanker, even though it needs doing of its own accord.

I'm trying to comment on the bigger picture.

The bigger picture?  You're kidding, right?
The only bigger picture that would make any sense would be making life harder for criminal pirates to do business.  The choice between allowing them to continue to thrive and interrupt international commerce vs. killing as many of them as possible is an easy one.

[De Selby]

The bigger picture?  You're kidding, right?
The only bigger picture that would make any sense would be making life harder for criminal pirates to do business.  The choice between allowing them to continue to thrive and interrupt international commerce vs. killing as many of them as possible is an easy one.

Yeah, but the question of how to kill and disrupt as many of them as possible is not, which I thought was what went on here in this thread.

I don't see anyone saying "leave the pirates alone, it's a waste of time."  I do see myself mentioning that shouting and cheering "kill them! send in the marines!" is not necessarily going to solve the problem.

[MicroBalrog]

The choice between allowing them to continue to thrive and interrupt international commerce vs. killing as many of them as possible is an easy one.

Nobody suggested they should be allowed to continue to thrive. The question is which is the best way to kill them all.

[Nitrogen]

If nothing else, it'd be great PR.

Don't we have spy sats that could find 'em?

[Bigjake]

Ridiculing the most obvious solution is silly.

[stevelyn]

Honestly the people who have oil tankers or other valuable ships in the area SHOULD hire mercenaries and order them to kill anyone attempting to come on board without proper authorization.

I'd love to be a shotgun rider on a merchant ship. 

[RevDisk]

Yeah, but the question of how to kill and disrupt as many of them as possible is not, which I thought was what went on here in this thread.

I don't see anyone saying "leave the pirates alone, it's a waste of time."  I do see myself mentioning that shouting and cheering "kill them! send in the marines!" is not necessarily going to solve the problem.

No way to solve their cultural issues that grow kids into pirates.

Mind you, piracy was an issue for the Axumite Empire (circa 200 BC to 700 AD).  The Axumite empire was based on sea trade, basically the only alternative to the Silk Road.  Peasants from Somalia up to Yemen often moonlighted as pirates with dreams of quick wealth.  The problem was never and will never be 'solved'.  You can only do what the Axumites themselves did for nearly a thousand years.  If you catch them, kill them.  An amusing activity amoung the Axumite marines was to use captured pirates as live shark bait.  It'd work, for a while, then some damn fools would try it again.   

The north eastern African coastal region only has ocean trade as their primary economy.  The soil isn't that great for crops, and they've never shown a wide interest in manufacturing.

'Kill them' is the only solution even on a temporary basis proven to work with pirates in the region according to written records going back almost three thousand years.  Do you have a better suggestion that is plausible and hasn't been tried in the past?

[Jamisjockey]

Yeah, but the question of how to kill and disrupt as many of them as possible is not, which I thought was what went on here in this thread.

I don't see anyone saying "leave the pirates alone, it's a waste of time."  I do see myself mentioning that shouting and cheering "kill them! send in the marines!" is not necessarily going to solve the problem.

Nothing is going to solve the problem entirely, sans the damn insurance companies stopping the payments of ransom. 
My Marine Corps has a fine tradition of dealing with Africian Pirates. 
A MEU(SOC) with a compliment of seals would be the simplest and best way to deal with it.  The Somalis already fear Marines.  When a MEU was used to secure Mogadishu and its port for Operation Restore Hope, the warlords immediately went to the negotiating table.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

how much of that hope is left now in somalia though

[Dannyboy]

Nothing is going to solve the problem entirely, sans the damn insurance companies stopping the payments of ransom. 

That is the key tight there.  You can kill as many as you want but if they make $10m at a pop, it won't matter.

[De Selby]

'Kill them' is the only solution even on a temporary basis proven to work with pirates in the region according to written records going back almost three thousand years.  Do you have a better suggestion that is plausible and hasn't been tried in the past?

I'm re-reading my posts to see where I suggested that they should not be killed.  I do not see it.

[De Selby]

Ridiculing the most obvious solution is silly.

Chanting "Kill them!" is not a solution-a plan for doing so that will have realistic impacts on the pirates is more like it.

[Jamisjockey]

Chanting "Kill them!" is not a solution-a plan for doing so that will have realistic impacts on the pirates is more like it.

Killing them is a plan, a solution.   Word travels fast even in a region like that.  If we begin making it harder for them to do business, they will begin rethinking their business model.

[MicroBalrog]

Killing them is a plan, a solution.   Word travels fast even in a region like that.  If we begin making it harder for them to do business, they will begin rethinking their business model.

The question is "how".

Note that the Saudis seem to have adopted Shootin's solution and siced the islamists on them.

[De Selby]

The question is "how".

Note that the Saudis seem to have adopted Shootin's solution and siced the islamists on them.

It was a good idea-you get people who know the terrain, already know all the players, and are relatively cheap to supply/pay in comparison to a multi-billion dollar western expeditionary force.  Plus, they live there-so it's not like the pirates can just wait them out by laying low for a while.

My point is that I don't think it's clear that sending in a few naval ships will actually make it that much harder for them to do business-it's a big sea, a big coastline, and they don't have beacons saying "kill me, I'm a pirate."

[RocketMan]

Did the Saudi's sic the Islamists on them, or did the Islamists do it on their own hook?

[Jamisjockey]

It was a good idea-you get people who know the terrain, already know all the players, and are relatively cheap to supply/pay in comparison to a multi-billion dollar western expeditionary force.  Plus, they live there-so it's not like the pirates can just wait them out by laying low for a while.

My point is that I don't think it's clear that sending in a few naval ships will actually make it that much harder for them to do business-it's a big sea, a big coastline, and they don't have beacons saying "kill me, I'm a pirate."

He who lies down with dogs, wakes up with fleas.  Doing business with islamofacisorrists is bad policy. 

[MicroBalrog]

He who lies down with dogs, wakes up with fleas.  Doing business with islamofacisorrists is bad policy. 

The US has been doing 'business' with unsavory groups throughout its history. Part of international politics is that you are forced to deal with foreign, evil smacktards, many of whom wouldn't recognize the idea of morality if it bit their nose off.

[K Frame]

Chanting "Kill them!" is not a solution-a plan for doing so that will have realistic impacts on the pirates is more like it.

Carpet bombing them back to the stone age.

[De Selby]

Carpet bombing them back to the stone age.

This is Somalia we're talking about....what exactly would change after a carpet bombing?

[MicroBalrog]

This is Somalia we're talking about....what exactly would change after a carpet bombing?

Now it is you who are not correct - Somalia actually has some amazing 21st-century stuff - such as a surprisingly advanced IT industry.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somalia#Telecommunications

[erictank]

This is Somalia we're talking about....what exactly would change after a carpet bombing?

The stones would be smaller, and there'd probably be fewer would-be pirates picking them up?

[lupinus]

Carpet bombing them back to the stone age.

Mike appeasement doesn't work.  An upgrade to the stone age wont help 

[De Selby]

Now it is you who are not correct - Somalia actually has some amazing 21st-century stuff - such as a surprisingly advanced IT industry.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somalia#Telecommunications

Wow, would not have guessed.  How do they power the networks!?

[Jamisjockey]

The US has been doing 'business' with unsavory groups throughout its history. Part of international politics is that you are forced to deal with foreign, evil smacktards, many of whom wouldn't recognize the idea of morality if it bit their nose off.

Sept 11th should have taught us the folly of that policy.