Did you know that Terrorism is a legacy word?
You didn't?
Apparently it is a legacy of the "politics of fear" rather than descriptive of unconscionable acts of murder and mayhem. The correct formulation, according to Obama's Director of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, is "man-caused disaster". That seems overly sexist to me. Surely it should be "man and/or woman-caused disaster" or more succinctly perhaps "person-caused disaster".
And the perpetrators of dastardly deeds who have wrought chaos, misery and death should surely now be "person-caused disaster-makers".
All very helpful I'm sure.
What made me think of this today is this wonderful essay on Piracy from the US Naval Institute.
You see Piracy is an overblown problem.
Got that "high-seas criminal activity" could replace piracy in our vocabulary. Then pirates could become "high-seas criminal activists".
And whereas historically one of the primary functions of Navies was to suppress piracy, when they weren't indulging in it themselves that is, high-seas criminal activism demands a totally different response. Case made.
The only part of this analysis is I am not quite sure about is which law enforcement agency is equipped to deal with high-seas criminal activity in international waters off the coast of a Nation with no viable law enforcement agencies at all.
And although the author of this essay may believe
At some point the pirates will have to be dealt with or not as the case may be. And naval guns are probably going to be more effective in the long term than the FBI hostage negotiators who are currently trying to deal with the latest incident.
Related: Pirate standoff a headache for Obama
You didn't?
Apparently it is a legacy of the "politics of fear" rather than descriptive of unconscionable acts of murder and mayhem. The correct formulation, according to Obama's Director of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, is "man-caused disaster". That seems overly sexist to me. Surely it should be "man and/or woman-caused disaster" or more succinctly perhaps "person-caused disaster".
And the perpetrators of dastardly deeds who have wrought chaos, misery and death should surely now be "person-caused disaster-makers".
All very helpful I'm sure.
What made me think of this today is this wonderful essay on Piracy from the US Naval Institute.
You see Piracy is an overblown problem.
Indeed, common misperceptions abound. While maritime piracy incidents capture media attention and generate international calls for action, the piracy threat is in fact overstated. It is nothing more than high-seas criminal activity, better addressed by law enforcement agencies than warships. As a localized nuisance, it should not serve to shape maritime force structure or strategy.
Got that "high-seas criminal activity" could replace piracy in our vocabulary. Then pirates could become "high-seas criminal activists".
And whereas historically one of the primary functions of Navies was to suppress piracy, when they weren't indulging in it themselves that is, high-seas criminal activism demands a totally different response. Case made.
The only part of this analysis is I am not quite sure about is which law enforcement agency is equipped to deal with high-seas criminal activity in international waters off the coast of a Nation with no viable law enforcement agencies at all.
And although the author of this essay may believe
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) remains the recognized international body with the mandate to establish a global anti-piracy plan. The organization provides an accepted, common framework for action and represents the best hope for establishing and sustaining an international regime to eliminate piracy.I personally don't think that high-seas criminal activists armed with AK-47s will give a fig for any global anti-piracy plan devised by the IMO.
At some point the pirates will have to be dealt with or not as the case may be. And naval guns are probably going to be more effective in the long term than the FBI hostage negotiators who are currently trying to deal with the latest incident.
Related: Pirate standoff a headache for Obama