Does it seem as if the world is powerless to do anything meaningful against the new scourge of piracy? Have you ever wondered why piracy was almost unheard of for so many decades? Once upon a time, pirates were better armed and better hidden than their prey and the navies that hunted them down. The odds were in their favor when they were willing to seek out new harbors and new islands on a world poorly mapped.
Today, that is not the case. Today the world is well mapped, as are the safe harbors of a band of pirates that float around the seas in centuries old wooden boats with slightly more modern engines and 1940's era assault rifles. Sure, it's cheaper in the short term to pay them millions to recover ships and goods worth billions, but that doesn't fix the long term problem. Who's responsibility is it to solve this problem?
"To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offenses against the Law of Nations;
To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;" Article I, Section 8, US Constitution, Powers Vested to Congress
A) Unleash the Seadogs of War: SEALS.
B) Issue Letters of Marque. And this is the non-traditional, forgotten answer, that worked in the 19th Century. See, the Navy is busy at times or just doesn't have the time and resources to deal with those pesky pirates. Moreover, the whole Gentleman thing gets in the way of some Admiral ordering a scurvy skinny to "walk the plank."
Privateers on the other hand don't have these same issues. Privateers, private Seafarers with an official letter authorizing combat on the scurges of the earth, are legal and have less red-tape preventing them from doing what's necessary to end piracy. The US Constitution specifically authorizes Congress to issue "Letters of Marque" against pirates.
But letting a dozen poorly armed men in a wooden boat earn millions, when you know where they are sleeping, and have the legal means to put an end to it, makes no sense at all.
Stumble It!
