By Lance Winslow
Not long ago, I mentioned to an acquaintance that there is a good chance that the Somalia pirate problem will be solved within the next 5 to 10 years. They seem to be a little taken aback, and felt as if my predictions were a little over the top. But really I don't think my estimates are, and let me explain why.
First, the problem is not insurmountable, even with the 100s of thousands of square miles of ocean that must be policed. Secondly, all nations are affected by these Pirates, and therefore a broad coalition from the free world could easily put their foot down and stop this nonsense.
There was an interesting article recently in Hindu Times of North India, and a similar article appeared in the New Delhi edition titled;
"Navy Chief Warns Against Piracy Terrorism Nexus," published on October 21, 2010. The article stated; "Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma has made a pitch for putting in place pre-emptive measures to scuttle pirates from developing a nexus with terror groups. Speaking at an international symposium at New Port, Rhode Island, Verma cautioned against the possibility of the problem of piracy forging links with terrorism, which has a cancerous potential."
Interestingly enough, I made a similar assessment 36 months ago or so, and have been discussing this ever since. The article noted that the Indian Navy alone has captured 100 pirates and has yet to bring them to court there.
Now then, this is a real problem, and piracy on the high-seas affects every nation that trades around the world, and it really does make sense to go after this on a united front, not only will it draw folks together in a common cause, but it is a battle that the free-world can win.
Using UAVs, and unmanned dirigible robotic aircraft we can put eyes in the sky along with our satellites to pinpoint any boats that look like pirates. We should also be able to determine which ones are pirates and which ones are merely fishing boats. Next, we can intercept these boats and sink them, and make harsh penalties for those involved with piracy and soon the word will get out. We have to get tough, and yes, there are international waters involved here, and we must follow the laws set out in the open sea.
Nevertheless, the cost to defeat the pirates for any given nation is not that much, if it is spread over many nations, shipping companies, and militaries. This is something we need to do for the betterment of humanity. And it's time we got serious and got it done. Please consider all this and think on.
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