15-04-2009, 08:08 AM
Further to Magda's post here is another article - from Johann Hari (he of 'The Dark Side of Dubai posted yesterday) published in The Independent in January this year. All this stuff is worth keeping in mind whenever the 'Somali Pirates' issue is in the news.
Was the US Navy was right or wrong in the particular circumstances? I don't think we are in any position to judge. As for getting caught up in the hero-worship - you can count me out. The Navy has it's story and it is being used for all it's worth to pump up Obama as the hero C-in-C (natch); OTOH so do the pirates. I find the telephone calls to relatives report saying they were out of ammo and trying to exchange their freedom for hostage release to be credible. I also find it totally INcredible that they were indeed 'about to shoot the hostage' since that would have resulted in swift and certain death. The balance of probability for me lies with the Navy having decided at the outset to manoeuvre to a position where they could be pretty certain of killing all three pirates near simultaneously regardless - and that's exactly what they did. Professional? - yes. Heroic? - hardly. The pirates will certainly have learned a lesson, but probably not quite the simplistic 'don't mess with Uncle SAM' one claimed. As is usually the case when the US military start teaching people lessons, this is probably the precursor to a lot of innocent lives being lost. Somalia is now officially designated a 'Free-Fire zone' as of a couple of months ago (if memory serves). So what are the chances that we will soon see NATO ground-forces engaged in 'guns blazing hot pursuit' actions in the Horn of Africa after this? (surreal isn't it 'North Atlantic' defence forces operating in Central Asia and the Horn of Africa)
Sorry if all that sounds anti-US. It's not meant to. In any event my view of all the major powers is similarly jaundiced.
Was the US Navy was right or wrong in the particular circumstances? I don't think we are in any position to judge. As for getting caught up in the hero-worship - you can count me out. The Navy has it's story and it is being used for all it's worth to pump up Obama as the hero C-in-C (natch); OTOH so do the pirates. I find the telephone calls to relatives report saying they were out of ammo and trying to exchange their freedom for hostage release to be credible. I also find it totally INcredible that they were indeed 'about to shoot the hostage' since that would have resulted in swift and certain death. The balance of probability for me lies with the Navy having decided at the outset to manoeuvre to a position where they could be pretty certain of killing all three pirates near simultaneously regardless - and that's exactly what they did. Professional? - yes. Heroic? - hardly. The pirates will certainly have learned a lesson, but probably not quite the simplistic 'don't mess with Uncle SAM' one claimed. As is usually the case when the US military start teaching people lessons, this is probably the precursor to a lot of innocent lives being lost. Somalia is now officially designated a 'Free-Fire zone' as of a couple of months ago (if memory serves). So what are the chances that we will soon see NATO ground-forces engaged in 'guns blazing hot pursuit' actions in the Horn of Africa after this? (surreal isn't it 'North Atlantic' defence forces operating in Central Asia and the Horn of Africa)
Sorry if all that sounds anti-US. It's not meant to. In any event my view of all the major powers is similarly jaundiced.
Peter Presland
".....there is something far worse than Nazism, and that is the hubris of the Anglo-American fraternities, whose routine is to incite indigenous monsters to war, and steer the pandemonium to further their imperial aims"
Guido Preparata. Preface to 'Conjuring Hitler'[size=12][size=12]
"Never believe anything until it has been officially denied"
Claud Cockburn
[/SIZE][/SIZE]
".....there is something far worse than Nazism, and that is the hubris of the Anglo-American fraternities, whose routine is to incite indigenous monsters to war, and steer the pandemonium to further their imperial aims"
Guido Preparata. Preface to 'Conjuring Hitler'[size=12][size=12]
"Never believe anything until it has been officially denied"
Claud Cockburn
[/SIZE][/SIZE]