May 2013 Jessica Buchanan, an American aid worker taken hostage by pirates in Somalia in 2011, as spoken publically for the first time about her incident. Buchanan, held for 93 days in 2011, was eventually rescued in a Navy SEAL raid. The 32 year old American was stationed in the north of the country, which […]
What is a pirate?
May 2013 With the capture of so many Somalis associated with piracy off the coast of the Horn of Africa, many legal conundrums have come up. One of the more interesting involves the case of Mohammad Saaili Shibin, who served as a ransom negotiator, brokering deals between shipping companies and pirates who were demanding steep ransoms for […]
Speedboats Enhance Djibouti Capability
April 2013 The Djiboutian navy has just received two high-speed maritime patrol boats courtesy of the United States Department of State. The gift was made in an effort to strengthen the maritime security capabilities of a key African coastal state. Djibouti is located right on the Mandab Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of […]
Pacific Pivot Spikes Arms Sales
January 2013 As tensions rise in the Asia Pacific region, U.S. arms companies expect to make significant sales to those in the region looking to counter recent aggression by China and North Korea. Since the United States has moved ahead with the pivot to the region, strengthening the position of critical allies is atop the […]