So far Obama is passing this test .
The test I'm talking about is the attempted hijacking of the Maersk Alabama,an American flagged ship, by jihadists pirates.
So far hijacking off the Somali coast has been a pretty good business. Nations have paid ransom (tribute) to retrieve vessels to the tune of $150 million from 150 ships in 2008.
But a US ship had not been the target. The first thing that was different this time was that the unarmed crew fought back capturing one of the pirates and making him their prisoner .(arming the crew of a commercial ship is discouraged by international law)The next thing that was different was that the captain of the Maersk Alabama ;Richard Phillips,showed courage and honor ,traded his safety by offered himself up as a prisoner to save the crew. The pirates renaged on a swap deal and Phillips is still a prisoner.Ken Quinn, the second mate on the ship, told CNN. They eventually released the pirate in an attempted hostage exchange. “We returned him but they didn't return the captain.”
The Maersk Alabama had been bound for the Kenyan port of Mombasa and was carrying food and other agricultural materials for the World Food Program, a United Nations agency, and other clients, including the United States Agency for International Development.
The pirates put Phillips on a dinghy and fled until their boat ran out of fuel .
The President's response so far has been strong. He has not gone crying to the UN . He instead ordered the USS Bainbridge to go after them . The guided-missile frigate USS Haliburton is also on hand .He has FBI hostage negotiators there telling the pirates that their only chance of survival is to release Phillips. No ransoms; no bargains, no surrender is on the table. The threat of force is real and credible. If there are to be negotiations they will be conducted from a position of strength .
He has not held phony gratuitous press conferences and has refused to answer reporter's questions.
The U.S. military has been defending civilian shipping from pirates since the Barbary Wars two centuries ago, and one of its missions is to keep the sea lanes open for U.S. flagged vessels.
I pray for success but what is clear is that jihadists pirates ,terrorists,dictators will have to consider our actions in this situation in their future calculations . The President must continue his strong response and not weaken.