Originally posted by: crunkmoose
Much of a supercilious ass as he might be... Man is Truth does have a bit of a point here. We talk about the losses endured because of piracy, but the losses to the Somalis as well as the exploitation inherent in the sort of joint rule you propose are far far greater.
I'm not really seeing any losses to the average Somalis. The pirates, would lose, the gangs would lose, the corrupt military and government officials would lose, but the average Somalis would probably do a thousand times better, as would the non-corrupt military and government officials. As for exploitation, Somalia doesn't really have much to exploit unless we've suddenly developed a massive need for clumps of dry dirt from the Ogo. Any internationalization would probably lead to improved social services, public schools, modern health services, and a legal system that actually functions. So again, I don't see much in the way of losses to the average Somali, especially when compared to the environment of squalor and terror they live under now.
Look, I'm not saying this kind of thing is ever the ideal option, but I'm afraid that boat has long since sailed. And between the piracy, the rape gangs, the murder gangs, etc., it would be nice if the global community tried to do something before it becomes another Rwanda or Darfur. And unlike those situations, multiple foreign nations would actually have a tangible justification to get involved and a motivation to solve the problem and improve things there enough so that it doesn't recur. I know the knee-jerk reaction to this sort of thing is negative, but every now and it's the right thing to do. This is one such case. And with a truly international coalition which included not just our usual allies, but the Chinese, the Russians, everyone, the cost would be minimal both economically and diplomatically. Again, I don't see any downside for anyone but the assholes here.

