Are Terrorists the Pirates of the Middle East?

[gumboot]

My flatmate just offered an interesting parallel to the current situation in the Middle East - that being caribbean piracy.

Privateering enabled states to support pirates to attack the civilians of their enemy, without pushing their own armed forces into the conflict.

If retribution followed, the sponsor nation could simply deny culpability, and bewail the cruel injustice done to its civilians by the responding nation.

Take this theoretical scenario:

French and British privateers operate out of Tortuga (at the time it was a French/British colony), attacking Spanish ships.

The Spanish respond by attacking Tortuga with their navy and taking over the settlement.

The British and French declare outrage at the Spanish for attacking their citizens in their settlement.

Spain claims it was attacked by French and British privateers.

The French and British claim they are pirates, not privateers, and that the people of Tortuga are innocent citizens.

Now repeat the same scenario, making the following adjustments:

Spain = Israel
England and France = Lebanon
Tortuga = Southern Lebanon
Pirate = Terrorists
Privateers = Hizbollah

-Andrew

 

[Dave1001]

I'm convinced. Let's take Cat Stevens off the no-fly list and replace him with Keith Richards.

 

[Mephisto]

I'm convinced. Let's take Cat Stevens off the no-fly list and replace him with Keith Richards.

I agree, and I've heard that Disney Corp. is already looking into a new theme park called Evil-Doer Land built around the new movie-generating thrill ride - Pirates of the Persian Gult.

 

[Beady]

I agree, and I've heard that Disney Corp. is already looking into a new theme park called Evil-Doer Land built around the new movie-generating thrill ride - Pirates of the Persian Gult.

Arhg!

 

[X-COM]

My postcount are still to low for links but go to wikipedia and search for "proxy war", it's an interesting article.

 

[Tony]

My flatmate just offered an interesting parallel to the current situation in the Middle East - that being caribbean piracy.

Privateering enabled states to support pirates to attack the civilians of their enemy, without pushing their own armed forces into the conflict.

If retribution followed, the sponsor nation could simply deny culpability, and bewail the cruel injustice done to its civilians by the responding nation.

Take this theoretical scenario:

French and British privateers operate out of Tortuga (at the time it was a French/British colony), attacking Spanish ships.

The Spanish respond by attacking Tortuga with their navy and taking over the settlement.

The British and French declare outrage at the Spanish for attacking their citizens in their settlement.

Spain claims it was attacked by French and British privateers.

The French and British claim they are pirates, not privateers, and that the people of Tortuga are innocent citizens.

Now repeat the same scenario, making the following adjustments:

Spain = Israel
England and France = Lebanon
Tortuga = Southern Lebanon
Pirate = Terrorists
Privateers = Hizbollah

-Andrew

I've observed the same parallel, but I don't think the situations are completely analogous. For one thing, today's terrorists lack the profit motive of the pirates of the past.

 

[shemp]

Nonsense! No self-respecting Hezbollah terrorist would get caught dead looking like this!

 

[KelvinG]

I've observed the same parallel, but I don't think the situations are completely analogous. For one thing, today's terrorists lack the profit motive of the pirates of the past.

Not if you count the 72 virgins!

 

[HeavyAaron]

Not if you count the 72 virgins!

You don't know that it IS 72 virgins until you count them.

Aaron

 

[no one in particular]

Damn, I wanted this to be a photoshop thread.

At least Shemp made a partial effort.

 

[ImaginalDisc]

I made this same comment to a special forces guy who dressed as a pirate for Halloween. He was not amused.

 

[Mephisto]

My postcount are still to low for links but go to wikipedia and search for "proxy war", it's an interesting article.

It IS an interesting article with many interesting links. Thanks X-COM and welcome.

I thought this particularly relevant - an another example of why we shouldn't be sticking our nose in the business (no matter how heinous their dictator may be) of sovereign countries.

"It is almost impossible to have a pure proxy war, as the groups fighting for a certain superpower usually have their own interests, which are often divergent from those of their patron. For instance, after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the groups that the United States had been backing later turned against the U.S. and became the nucleus of the Taliban and al-Qaeda."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proxy_war