In the Middle East, many wars, terrorism, and other violence-related topics are issues that affect the whole world and in this concern, the U.S. But there is also a more lesser-known issue that is costing the U.S. and many other countries millions of dollars every month. Pirates! No, they’re not sailing gigantic wooden sail-ships about the seven seas, or stealing gold and burying their treasure on deserted islands. They pilot small, fast, and stealthy speed-boats, raid cargo ships that cross into their territory, and hold hostages for large amounts of ransom money. Most have no intention in harming anybody, though they do carry powerful firearms to help them negotiate and keep or gain control if/when the need arises. As well as many modern technology advances such as GPS, satellite phones, night vision goggles, and anything else that may make them a more effective, serious threat.

What does this have to do with us, one may ask? Well, these raids and other pirate activities cause the U.S. and many other countries to lose lots of money! Not to mention goods, ships, and other cargo/trade items that are being shipped from one country to the other.
In the past, the U.S. has lost millions of dollars due to pirate attacks on its ships, mostly in petroleum. Piracy peaked in 2011, with over 160 attacks, but averages have since reduced and there were only 70 attacks on ships by Somali pirates in 2012. One of Somali Pirates’ favorite targets is oil tankers due to the large amounts of money the recipients of the cargo are willing to pay to receive their cargo, ship, and/or crew back. On April 8, 2009, the Maersk Alabama, a 17,000-ton United States cargo vessel, was hijacked by four Somali pirates several hundred miles east of Mogadishu. -(Statistics from: http://www.policymic.com/articles/72317/5-things-you-never-knew-about-modern-day-pirates Once captured the ship, the pirates asked for millions of dollars in ransom money. The U.S. Navy eventually took control of the scene by sniping several pirates before finally capturing the last surviving pirate aboard with the hostage skipper. The man pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 33 years in prison within the U.S. Without the strength of our forces, the situation could have been costly for the United States. These attacks continue to happen causing many delays and shipping problems between countries all over the world. In my opinion, we need to do something to prevent this from happening. Perhaps it would be good for us to figure out why people would turn to such a risky life.

Citations:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/07/books/review/the-pirates-of-somalia-by-jay-bahadur-book-review.html?pagewanted=all
http://www.policymic.com/articles/72317/5-things-you-never-knew-about-modern-day-pirates