Word: somali
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...these Islamic guys want to cut my hands off. Maybe it's time for a change.' ABSHIR BOYAH, a Somali pirate boss, on mounting opposition to piracy among the country's religious leaders...
...challenge that resembles fighting terrorism. There are a lot of suggestions on the table: A system of World War II - style convoys and escorts. An international moratorium on ransom payments. Some urge arming crews, although assuming that shippers can outgun young men fitted out with the best the Somali black market has to offer is a risky bet. The best solution is likely to be military, based on inspections, exclusion zones, rapid reaction and deadly force. That is how our partners are beginning to view it. French commandos retook a yacht on April 10, killing two pirates. (One passenger...
...some quarters, there is skepticism about whether a military response is appropriate. These aren't terrorists, one argument goes, because privation, not politics, is the root of the crisis. To listen to this woolly-headed analysis, you would think piracy was the closest thing Somalis had to a workable aid program. "The threat of death," editorializes the Los Angeles Times, "isn't much of a deterrent to hopeless young Somali men who face a choice between potentially making millions on the high seas or starving on shore...
...will exact "revenge" on Americans. How so? On whose behalf? Such solidarity is less typical of entrepreneurs than it is of terrorists and guerrillas. When Phillips' captors ran out of fuel, they radioed other pirate-held ships for help. There is talk of pirate dens on and near the Somali coasts: Harardhere, Eyl, Boosaaso. "Den" is a quaint, Peter Pan - ish way of putting it. "Enemy naval base" might be more...
...discovered once before. The pirates are not "desperate." They are well fed, crafty and competent. They are the maritime wing of the warlord culture that governs Somalia de facto and does so in such a way that its citizens don't eat. Whatever the root causes of Somali piracy, helping Somalia might be a worthy goal once the pirates are defeated militarily. It is a pointless one until then...