Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Pirates Exploit Confusion About International Law - WSJ.com
International piracy seems to be an increasing concern.
Here's an informative article that also includes some history...
Here's an informative article that also includes some history...
David B. Rivkin Jr. and Lee A. Casey discuss the issue in the Wall Street Journal:
"Media reports suggest that Somali pirates have already attacked more than 80 ships in 2008.
These are unprecedented and dangerous developments. Suppressing piracy and the slave trade, accomplished by the last quarter of the 19th century, were among mankind's great civilizing achievements. These were brought about by major maritime powers such as Great Britain and the United States. Indeed, in the American republic's earliest days, President Jefferson dispatched the infant U.S. Navy to confront the Barbary pirates, both on shore and at sea.
By the 1970s, as a part of a growing chaos in parts of Africa and Asia, incidents of piracy began to pick up. But it was not until the 21st century that piracy has experienced a meteoric rise, with the number of attacks increasing by double-digit rates per year. Last year, according to the International Maritime Bureau, 263 actual and attempted pirate attacks took place. Large maritime areas have now become known as pirate heavens, where mariners can expect to be routinely molested."
