Yes, this thread is too political for this site. It was started largley in order to take a swipe at the
current US president, rather than as a rational discussion about appropriate measures that can be taken by vessels in those waters (regardless of their
flags - this is, afterall, a venue for international cruisers) and by the nations whose
flags they carry.
Mobetah, when people from the United States refer to NATO as a joke, it makes it very difficult for countries like
Canada to justify spending billions of dollars and to sustaining hundreds of casualties fighting in Afghanistan in support of the United Sates - yes, we are there because of the 9/11 attack on a fellow
member of NATO. Perhaps you should tell the proud families of the Canadian soldiers who have been killed and maimed there that NATO is a joke.
No, it is not (nor should it be ) just the United States that is fighting terrorism. No, it is not (nor should it be) just the United States that is fighting
piracy - and the French in particular have taken a very active and aggressive role of late in pursuing pirates ( in one recently publicized incident they successfully used their equivalent of
Navy Seals in order to free pirated persons being held for ransom).
I, like you, am firmly of the belief that greater measures should be taken by all nations whose ships are plying those waters. But I also believe that it is an international problem that will require a considered response by all of those affected - understanding that the lives of the captives should be a primary concern, followed by the sustainability of any effort in the area at increased policing. And that is where international cooperation will be crucial, particularly in a time where US resources are spread to the limit.
I did not say that the United States
navy cannot intervene in international waters - of course they can and should. My point is that it is exceedingly unlikely that the vessel is still there and hence, international law applies (or at least it does to countries such as the United States, that are governed by the
rule of law).
Regardless of the view that anyone takes of the
current administration, I assume that we all hope and pray that this immediate matter is resolved without the deaths of the hostages. I assume we also hope that those responsible can be brought to justice and that in future, increased policing/measures of
security can be brought to the area (and to other hotspots of piracy).
Rather than a short-term, knee jerk response, some of us will
recall the Iranian hostage crisis. Yes, that was when the Canadian Embassy under then Ambassador Taylor, held safe the staff from the US Embassy in Iran for the better part of a year (until he and our
government were able to arrange a ruse in order to get them out of the country safely). Or is that solution to a hostage crisis involving US citizens outside the realm of discussion because it involved international cooperation and the efforts of a 'joke' - another NATO
member,
Canada?
In many surverys the populations of the rest of the World have expressed hope in President Obama, not because he is a wimp, but because they believe he will attempt to
work with other countries in pursuing common objectives. They hope that he will return the United States to a position where it is recognized as a leader in the fight for freedom that nevertheless respects the rights of other countries to develop their own foreign policies. That he will develop a policy of resorting to military action as only the last resort.
Rather than seeing this incident as a test of his 'backbone', I prefer to see it as a test of his intelligence, and of his willingness not to bow to pressure for an immediate, if not necessarily effective response to a serious issue.
Brad