Blackwater founder to fight pirates?
Yeah, it’s pretty much a product of the chickenshit world we live in. For the last several decades, the whole world has relied on the US to fight everyones’ wars and provide a security umbrella for civilization against the dark forces. Now the US is reluctant to involve itself in some of the more serious problems, so the Gulf States are contemplating hiring a private security force, assembled by Blackwater founder, Eric prince, to combat piracy off the horn of Africa. From an Associated Press link sent to us by Old Trooper;
Prince’s role revives questions about the use of military contractors. Critics say it could undercut the international community’s effort to train and fund Somali forces to fight al-Qaida-linked Islamist insurgents.
The European Union is training about 2,000 Somali soldiers with U.S. support, and an African Union force of 8,000 Ugandan and Burundian peacekeepers is propping up the government.
By introducing contractors, “You could see the privatization of war, with very little accountability to the international community,” said E.J. Hogendoorn, a Nairobi-based analyst with the International Crisis Group think tank. “Who are these private companies accountable to and what prevents them from changing clients when it’s convenient for them?”
Yeah, well, since no one can summon the testicular fortitude to dedicate some government force to battling piracy, it’s up to privateers. The UN can debate the topic from now until Eternity, they’ll never have the guts and the UN has a reputation for just screwing up, anyway. I can only imagine the stories about blue-helmeted goons raping underage dolphins and flounder.
Category: Foreign Policy, Pirates, United Nations
As long as the world continues to address the symptom of Somali piracy instead of its root cause there’s not much else to do. In the end small countries and non-state actors will look toward private security to protect their investments in the area simply because it’s too large an issue to deal with reactively.
That’s true, NSOM, because there isn’t an effective government, or security forces, to do what needs to be done. And, as Jonn points out, the only thing the UN is good at is creating a larger clusterfuck. So, those with interests in the area are going to rely more on private security to protect those interests.
I think it is the “private” armies of the world that are gonna fix things.
As long as there is money to be made, then I’m all for it.
Personally, I think the real solution is to offer “Pirate Safaris” to anyone willing to pony up the money. I can make some bucks, the “customers” can literally get some heads for their walls, and the situation of piracy resolves itself nicely.
Trust me, anyone willing to go kill pirates and blow up their facilities will get plenty of legal cover from the shipping and insurance companies.
The security of this nation was brought about by Privateers long, long ago. With the birth and suckling of “Political Correctness”, this has become “A bad thing”. In their sales pitch, Blackwater can remind prospectives that in their history, no client has been killed or even wounded, ever. When it must be done right, call on the Specops crowd; SEALs, or Ex-SEALs, such as Eric Prince, a true patriot.
Look what happened in Angola. Executive Outcomes kicked the living snot out of UNITA and the UN pressured Angola into breaking their contract with EO. When the UN forces showed up, AFTER Executive Outcomes had UNITA defeated, the place went to complete hell…
When we train other nation’s forces; are we not doing the same job as Erik is? The people he is training are Somali, same as the ones the EU is training. Is the training that Erik is overseeing at a higher level than those being trained by the EU? Probably. Maybe the Somali’s in the North are getting tired of the fragile and unstable country and government. The UN is worthless at anything except blowing money, so there’s no real help there. The African peacekeepers may be doing the job they were sent to do, but it hasn’t stopped Al-Shabab from controlling 2/3rds of the country and it hasn’t slowed the pirate operations at all. Maybe their mission objectives need to be changed? This will probably be a focused force, with clear mission objectives that don’t include “peacekeeping”.
Why not offer bounties on pirates? Oh wait I don’t think that would be PC.
Bounties don’t have anything to do with being un-PC and everything to do with being a really bad idea.
Who is authorized to go after pirates? Can they kill them? How do you identify a pirate? Whose jurisdiction do you bring them to and under what legal authority? Who pays the bounties? What’s to stop people like mercenaries and human smugglers from just killing Somalis and bringing them in as “pirates”? If people are brought in alive what is the process of determining their legal status and whether or not they’re guilty? Who pays to incarcerate them, etc.
It sounds cool and full of “get it done” bravado but that’s about all that’s good to be said of it.
NotSoOldMarine:
Who is authorized to go after pirates? Anyone issued a Letter of Marque and/or Reprisal. So long as they stay within the boundaries of the contract, i.e. the Letter, they are considered Americans. Unless the country that captures them just decides to execute them all. Gotta weigh the cost-benefit to risks.
Use of mercenaries and privateers is an ancient concept. Supporters of Ron Paul’s bid for President supported this idea. It’s also the stuff of a lovely fiction: no longer is “USA” is in-country supporting whomever… it becomes “those guys over there are being paid to support whomever.” For diplomats, use of mercenaries makes their job much easier.
Does anyone have the numbers on buying a couple of fast frigates and an oiler? The Royal Navy’s downsizing, as is our own. Maybe even get a Small, Disabled-Veteran-owned business tax cut & incentive to take the ships and equipment off their hands!
The key is getting the support of the shipping companies and the insurance companies.
The shipping companies want piracy reduced/eradicated because that brings insurance costs down.
Insurance companies want the pirates gone because they don’t have to pay out so many claims.
I see it as a win/win… so to speak. If the shippers and insurers underwrite the venture, everyone saves money, a nasty scourge is removed from society, and some good folks can get paid for relatively easy work.
NotSoOldMarine, root causes, are you being sarcastic? Somali piracy is opportunism, with some islamic moral justification(stealing/raiding and taking hostages from the unbelievers). Brits in the Caribeean, Athenians, Rhodians, Romans, Byzantines in the eastern mediterrean, or Americans off Triploi, you fight piracy by killing and putting on trial those arrested. Make those who commit piracy pay a price by removing them and you’ll also discourage wannabes. This was the origional justification for creating the USN. Remember the line from the Marine Corp’ Hymm, “From the Halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli…”. Goddamn this is a black eye for the Navy. Where is todays Steven Decatur? Oh I’m sorry the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs(a Navy Boy) has more important priorities, like climate change to worry about. Maybe after he reintroduces triremes to the USN’s inventory we can borrow a few to deal with this. We can always put the Constitution back on the active rolls and sail that over. Somali pirates “go a raid’in” in fishing dingies, and small boats with gasoline engines. They speed up to a vessel with 6-8 guys tops, grab some light loot they can carry, and take hostages to ransom. This is not an expensive or hard problem either for the military to solve. Why not have the Navy or the Merchant Marines, rent a few empty cargo freighters and luxury yachts, then put a skeleton crew on. A naval officer, Helmsman/coxswan, and a squad of thirteen Marines just with the small arms they carry. The Marines wait below deck or out of sight. Sail near shore, fake distress, then wait. When the raiders pull along side, blow the hell out of them. Those who aren’t killed should be thrown in the brig, tried for piracy and hung. You don’t have to arm every ship or even the majority of them. Word will travel fast. They’ll think twice about attacking any vessal when they don’t know which are floating ambushes. Remember the Iran/Iraq war? When the Iranians were attacking merchant oil tankers and neutral commercial vessals. One of the solutions that the navy came… Read more »
Great Britain built her empire through the East India Trading Company. The company had its own navy, marines, and army.
“Can they kill them”? I would certainly hope so. What’s the point of the exercise, if not to kill pirates?
Oh noes!! You mean a former SEAL, turned “mercenary” is going to get to beat down big bad pirates? Guess he gets to take it to the bank then, doesn’t he? Good for him.