In the wake of the brilliant rescue by US Navy SEALs of a US hostage held by Somali pirates over the weekend, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has sounded a decidedly defeatist tone unbecoming his high office, but rather typical, unfortunately, of his own philosophy. Gates says that there is basically no solution to the piracy problem because there are too many pirates, too many ships to protect and the ocean is too big.
We find it startling that the US Navy, working with key NATO allies, such as the British and French, couldn’t make piracy a very hazardous and unprofitable enterprise off the coast of Somalia. In fact, we don’t believe it for a second.
Keep in mind that this is the same Robert Gates who opposed the surge in Iraq. Gates was planning to fail in Iraq while better men, led by General David Petraeus, were planning for victory.
But there is another aspect of the Gates philosophy of defeat without trying in Somalia that is probably unseen by many.
Gates is essentially calling for Shariah in Somalia.
He says that the Somali government is the problem and that something is needed to “change the equation for these kids.”
Only a couple of months ago, he basically endorsed the shariah deal in the Swat Valley in Pakistan that handed over to the Taliban what they were seeking in the first place. Gates even entertained the truce as a model for Afghanistan.
Al Qaeda is setting up a stronghold in Somalia. Already we are seeing videos of AMERICAN members of Al Qeada–WHITE Americans–training in Somalia and there are widespread reports of Somali immigrants to the US heading back to Somalia to join the Jihad. They were recruited at a mosque in Minnesota for crying out loud…
Allowing Al Qaeda to gain a stronghold ANYWHERE is a bad idea. Where were the members of this administration on September 11th, 2001?
The only form of government likely to assert itself in Somalia is Shariah and Gates is basically calling for it. Instead of hoping that the Jihadists’ stated goal of establishing rule by Shariah law saves us all from the piracy, perhaps Mr. Gates should be hunkering down with some true experts and coming up with a plan to make piracy an extremely dangerous business practice in that part of the world…
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