Piracy in Southeast Asia: A Growing Threat to the United States' Vital Strategic and Commercial Interests.

摘要

Man time piracy in Southeast Asia is one of the most dangerous threats to maritime commerce in the world, and this threat is growing driven by the economic downturn of Southeast Asia, lucrative maritime targets of opportunity, a growing drug trade, China's attempts to exert sovereignty over the South China Sea, and new ominous link between the Osama Bin Ladin's Al- Qa'ida terrorist organization and Islamic fundamentalists in the southern Philippines and Indonesia. Southeast Asia has been a breeding ground and haven for man time piracy for over a thousand years due to the geography of the area. Piracy flourishes in this region due to several key ingredients: Lucrative shipping targets and a known area these ships must transit, numerous places to hide, state-of-the-art camouflage, an understanding of the use of denial and deception, and numerous places to sell one's stolen goods. When one adds to this region a depressed economy, a flourishing drug trade, Islamic fundamentalism, Chinese government sponsored piracy, and a newly discovered linkage between Osama Bin Ladin's Al-Qa'ida terrorist organization and Islamic fundamentalists in the region, one can understand why the number of attacks in this region of the world is rising and becoming more dangerous.