Wednesday 24 December 2008 We're From the Government, and We'll Protect You Share This:





Stratfor's podcast on the seizure of that Saudi oil tanker contained a fascinating tidbit: merchant ships are no longer allowed to carry arms at all, which, of course, makes piracy far easier. This is a dramatic transformation of the rights of merchant ships. Historically, private ships carried weapons when sailing far out of their own waters, and such weapons were an important deterrent to piracy.



As the nation state has claimed primacy over other entities, and exclusivity on the use of force, it has also worked an inter-national system based on the idea that only the state may employ violence. Entities which aren't governments, say shipping conglomerates, don't get a vote.



I didn't realize that extended as far as officers of ships being unable to carry sidearms. I had wondered why ships sailing the Gulf of Eden didn't convoy for mutual protection, and apparently the answer is that they can't offer each other any. A few small machine guns would dramatically alter the payoff choices that pirates make. As is, they're restricted to non-lethal means like water cannon.



Of course, to maintain it's monopoly on the legitimate use of force, the state cannot allow even sidearms on ships.

The State's attitude toward piracy is the same as their attitude toward domestic crime: Only WE can be trusted to use force. You cannot be trusted to defend yourself. Your only recourse is to call US, no matter how bad a job we do.



Or as Richard Stevens aptly put it,



The solution, of course, is to allow merchant ships to defend themselves. But you won't see that option "on the table" in D.C. Printer Friendly Brad - Wednesday 24 December 2008 - 14:26:13 - Permalink We're hearing talk now about the U.S. Government invading Somalia because of all the Somali pirates. Which is rather like bombing New York because of the activities of the Mafia. But what the government would like you not to notice is that their policies have caused this problem. From Emergent Chaos The State's attitude toward piracy is the same as their attitude toward domestic crime: Only WE can be trusted to use force. You cannot be trusted to defend yourself. Your only recourse is to call US, no matter how bad a job we do.Or as Richard Stevens aptly put it, "Dial 911 and Die." The solution, of course, is to allow merchant ships to defend themselves. But you won't see that option "on the table" in D.C.