There has been a lot of discussion over what to do about the Somali pirates. This is not the first time we’ve dealt with the issue. The very first act of aggression the new United States of America had to face was from the Barbary Pirates. Before Independence and during the Revolutionary War, the US had treaties with England and France to protect its vessels. After the Revolutionary War we were on our own. So, we tried to do what the others did. We paid bribes. That worked for about one year. So, we paid more. Finally, in 1801, Tripoli demanded a profound amount of money for protection from the pirates. Thomas Jefferson balked, Tripoli declared war. Immediately, the military overwhelmed Morocco. We then sent a land force that was prepared to occupy Tripoli and replace its rulers. Tripoli finally surrendered and agreed to our terms to handle its pirates. We then had to go into Algiers and do the same thing. By the time it was said and done, the pirate issue would no longer plague the United States for some time as they feared our navy and determination. The leader of the final battles for Algiers? General Bainbridge.
The ship that freed the pirate captives yesterday was The Bainbridge. Named after the William Bainbridge that took care of the pirates 200 years ago.
I think we should follow the example set then. It worked quite well.
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Jeff on 04.15.2009
Sounds like an excellent solution.