Few issues before Congress have united online activists like the current debate over the Stop Online Piracy Act in the U.S. House and its Senate companion, the PROTECT IP Act. Both bills attempt to address the theft of intellectual property. But critics say the legislation would do more harm than good. “The legislation addresses a legitimate problem,” noted Heritage’s James Gattuso in an analysis of SOPA, “but it may have unintended negative consequences for the operation of the Internet and free speech.” We discussed those consequences on this week’s Scribecast …
Six conservative U.S. senators voiced concerns Friday over the substance and procedural context of controversial legislation to block Internet piracy, noting potential economic damages and free speech restrictions the legislation might impose. Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), John Cornyn (R-TX), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Tom Coburn (R-OK), sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) on Friday expressing their concerns. The letter, whose signatories include the ranking Republicans on the Budget, Finance, and Judiciary Committees, warns of “breaches in cybersecurity, damaging the integrity …
Piracy off the Horn of Africa increases every year due to constant instability in the region. In 2008, 111 vessels were attacked. Since the beginning of 2011, there have already been 188 attacks. Every year worldwide piracy costs the shipping industry billions of dollars in rerouting, ransoms, and many other related expenses. These costs are then passed on to the consumer. To curb piracy, the international community is working with regional partners to stabilize the region. Somalia’s U.N.-appointed Transitional Federal Government (TFG) has proven largely incapable of establishing law and …
At the beginning of the month, Lloyd’s of London, the world’s leading marine insurance market, designated Nigeria and Benin as “war-risk” zones due to an escalation of piracy. While the vast of majority of the world’s pirate attacks take place off the Horn of Africa and more specifically in the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Guinea has become a popular target for pirates looking to make a quick buck. The Gulf of Guinea is a major trade hub, and neighboring countries are increasingly sources of oil, metals, cotton and …
With chaos erupting in North Africa and the Middle East, it’s easy to forget the many challenges the U.S. faces in the region. On Monday, Somali pirates seized an American yacht off the Horn of Africa. The next day all four Americans onboard were murdered by their captors. Piracy is one of the most common and most complicated issues for the international community. According to The Heritage Foundation’s Maritime Security report, each year, 21,000 commercial ships sail through the Gulf of Aden and Suez Canal, transporting over 10 percent of …
Bravo Zulu is navy parlance for “job well done.” South Korea’s naval commandos certainly earned that accolade by successfully rescuing all 21 hostages held aboard a South Korean freighter. On January 15, pirates armed with automatic rifles, heavy machine guns, and rocket-propelled grenades seized the Samho Jewelry ship 800 miles off the Somali coast. In an early morning attack, a South Korean SEAL unit seized control of the ship and freed all hostages. Eight pirates were killed, five were wounded, and none escaped. The daring rescue was fraught with risk. …
After the American Revolution, ships that were deemed too costly to maintain were sold as merchant ships. Swords had been beaten into plowshares, cannons had been beaten into anchors. By the late 1780s, however, American merchant ships had become easy prey to pirates. Lightly armed, if at all, ship after ship fell victim to the risks of the high seas, particularly in the Mediterranean. Families and communities were forced to pay ransoms for the return of their missing sailors; the government was reduced to paying tribute to the Barbary States …
Admiral Yin Zhuo of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) this week declared that China has an interest in Arctic exploration. Although China has no direct access to the Arctic, this did not dissuade the Admiral, who claimed that no one had sovereignty over the region. Admiral Yin was last heard making the argument that the PRC should establish a permanent base in the Gulf of Aden area, in order to support Chinese anti-piracy operations.
While Blackbeard may be long dead, the days of piracy and the threats posed by it did not end in the 17th century. Today, piracy proves an ever growing threat to global commerce and the freedom of the seas, as pirates continue to take commercial ships hostage in hope of receiving large ransom sums for the exchange of cargo and individuals held hostage. Headlines in 2009 highlighting the capture of the Maersk Alabama and Liberty Sun off the coast of Somalia brought the threat posed by pirates in the region …
Reuters today reports Somali pirates just released a captured tanker after getting a record-breaking ransom. Pirates may seem so “last year,” but they are as menacing as ever. More troubling, they have links to an al Qaeda affiliate in Somalia, which also has links to the terrorist group in Yemen that organized the Christmas Day bombing against a Detroit bound flight – part of a new “axis of evil” we need to worry about. Last year we wrote a comprehensive assessment of how to deal with the pirates. We concluded there …
