by G E Barr

Created on: April 23, 2009   Last Updated: April 29, 2009

In The Thick Of The Heat

Currently, the United States is involved in violent conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan and is not on sure footing with many parts of the world. Somalia is a cooking brew of strife and this anarchic situation has spilled onto its sea. One American interest is taken hostage in this chaos, but there is also a crew and ship involved.

President Obama's orders to take violent action only if it appeared the Captain's life was in danger were wise orders based not only on the heat of the particular situation, but also on the foreign state as it currently is.

The sniper has become a very valuable asset in preventing escalation of violent situations. The recent taking of Richard Phillips hostage, as well as the potential for escalation and further damage to American foreign interests, when thinking from the point of view of a sniper, was a matter of simplifying chaos. It requires the ability to focus and it does require courage. President Obama's orders were in perfect line with the military. In essence he was saying that he trusted their judgement and wanted as little action as possible.

Save Captain Richard Phillips and do so with the least amount of violence possible. It was a simple order and the military followed through. The fact that this confrontation occurred on water in the wide open, no doubt helped to simplify the operation, but saving Richard Phillips as he is sequestered off with three armed bandits, was, no doubt complicated.

There are, to be sure, tiers of violence. There's the all out assault. There's the mishap of reconaisance. There's the sniper, who is often used in war and violent criminal situations. What occurred on the sea off the coast of Somalia was a violent criminal situation, not a war time conflict. We are not at war with Somalia.

While it appears to be true that terrorists are based in Somalia these days, I think that the pirates who were attempting to take the Captain for ransom were not terrorists. They're maritime thieves who seem more adept at getting themselves in goofy situations than religious freaks wanting to kill because they'd been brainwashed to. No, these guys motive for killing is to steal and get away with it. Somalia, like other parts of Africa are having a rough go of it. It isn't unusual for people to become more uncivilized than usual when they're hungry.

I, in no way question President Obama's orders. What else could he do? Call for the military to begin opening fire on all non-American vessels? Order a new genocide? Allow Captain Richard Phillips and his crew to be killed?

Tensions in some parts of the world right now are very prone to ignite far worse casualties than three pirates. The United States has, throughout history given aid to Africa, even when they were buying their slaves. The problems going on within Africa are complex and the United States cannot fix them, but I cannot see where we should not become involved to save our own.

I don't think President Obama is interested in creating another Darfur. Where, by the way, Mia Farrow is doing her best to bring about some kind of aid for children who are starving to death.
The deaths of the pirates is unfortunate, but armed conflict sometimes ends that way.

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