High Seas Hijacking

" This is -- Fox -- Somalia as Foreign Minister now says that the pirates who took an American captain. Captive are quote playing with fire. That they will not win against the United States and a standoff. This is an FBI hostage team joins the standoff with these bugs. At the moment captain Richard Phillips is being held in a life boat off the coast of Africa bravely putting himself in harm's way yesterday. When he climbed aboard the boat surrendering himself to Somali pirates in an effort to save his crew. The question now can we rescue the captain. Without paying millions of dollars. In ransom. Joining us now with someone who has worked extensively to defuse the piracy threat. African security expert. Of the Nelson institute for international and public affairs at James Madison University Peter good morning to you. Maureen Reagan before we get started as -- our viewers know this is just crossing the wires secretary of state Hillary Clinton. Says that this lifeboat on which that US captain is being held hostage -- captive we're not sure which yet because we don't know what it demands were made for his return. Is apparently out of gas so that -- is out of gas to understand is still floating and it's not far from. The the Alabama the marks could that it was that that in the cargo ship that was first hijacked by these parts. All right let me ask you this our internal reporting here Peter showed early this morning. That the private company that owns this cargo ship. Asked the US navy and the US military to stand down for now we've got a destroyer on site now stand down for now. So they can do the negotiating with the pirates and the belief is that they're thinking about -- ransom. Is that status smart."

" Move. Well it might be at a movie makes economic sense for the company because certainly they want to. And the stand off the -- publicity that comes with that. And certainly their concern -- we all are about captain Phillips that brave man. On the other hand unfortunately it's the ransoms being paid by these shipping companies that driven this phenomenon piracy. Last year Somali pirates made an excess of -- hundred million dollars from these ransoms this is a country that's not had any piece it's not letting me. Real economic activity since. 1991 so this is only going to drive -- device more pirates to get in on the action and increase the risk for everyone."

" Okay notwithstanding that that reported. Request by that Dutch company that we stand down so they can negotiated deal. That's the understanding anyway. We -- we do know that our FBI we we have hostage negotiators that are discussing. The situation with. The pirates is our understanding and that are as I said US warship is on site at this moment. Camden tennis Dutch company effectively control what the United States does at this point I mean is this not a -- and a matter of our own national security."

" Your Margaret Beckett it is while the government certainly should take into account the wishes of the family in the company. Ultimately it's now a national issue it's like any matter of law enforcement. If you're a victim of a crime certainly victim statements are taken but the decisions -- prosecution. And the investigation and punishment are made by the government not by the victim."

" Because this is the first time in over 200 years we've had an American taken captive in this manner so if this company goes ahead and pays ransom. And Greg Palkot is reporting it could be something around you know who knows -- speculation that -- saying wouldn't be unusual to see a number in the millions perhaps is the highest ten million. If this company pays and that amount. To get this captain back what sort of precedent does that set when it comes to future incidents involving American sailors."

" Well I think unfortunately would be open season on American shipping -- on the US navy was founded in 1798. Precisely to fight piracy. The destroyer on the scene right now ironically is the USS -- named after commodore William Bainbridge. Which probably rolling in his grave at the thought that we would actually pull back and pay a ransom. For pirates he -- bravely in the two Barbary wars. And since then no one has -- American vessel so we really need to think about the big picture which is freedom of navigation and peaceful commerce. For American shipping worldwide."

" Okay but so what do we do what does the United States do in this situation we have a -- captain who was sitting on board this life raft with these pirates who are armed and dangerous. To be -- US destroyer sitting right there we have a lot of military experts come on our air yesterday say listen we don't want to start opening fire on this -- we don't take it to that point but what should we get."

" I think there are three steps -- it first we have to do we tend to get captain -- safely out of there. -- the French pulled off an operation earlier this year where they paid ransom. Got to -- the -- and then turned on the and captured the pirates involved so something of that nature secondly we have to do something. About the piracy itself we know where these pirates come from. I think it's time we took the war and the and the action home to them and thirdly we have to build up the capacity. Of the government and responsible authorities in Somalia. To deal with this question. Their -- coastal patrols and other government capacity is without a government in Somalia it we will never solve the problem of Somali pirates at city."

" Yeah it's amazing that this -- just as rogue state without any uniformed government what's. What message does -- send to these pirates and others like them. If we don't act strongly here I mean is this some sort of -- test it -- whether planned or unplanned on the part of these pirates of of the Obama administration."

" Oh I think it very much as they're they're poking -- so far this -- sees some pirates in the past few weeks turned them over to Kenyan authorities. For trial but we really haven't taken strong action and now this is the test the mettle and if the administration fails to respond not only to the specific incident -- the overall phenomena. Taking the fight to the pirates' home bases that I think we're in for a rough time. Just one date I'd like to throw out -- make it last year when there were not naval patrols in the area. Up to this point of the year there were four pirate hijacking this you're up to -- so we've actually tripled the number of seizures despite the naval presence."

" Wow. What a situation -- watching it the FBI hostage negotiators involved now and we are told that this wolf secretary of state Clinton saying that this light -- has run at a gas. Pleasure to be with -- around the university of --"