[Daniel_Newby]

"How are you giving power to a robber?"

By rewarding them with confidence and money, two of the most powerful factors in behavioral conditioning.

"I'm not sure why you're trying to link this situation to the political one in Somalia, they're quite different."

They are the same. Coastal Somalia's de facto government is barbarian raiders, funded entirely by people who choose to pay millions for appeasement but not one penny for defense. Hopefully the problem can be solved by arming the merchant fleets with modern weapons (now being tried), otherwise the standard solution will be needed: plow the coastal towns under as fertilizer.

[coryl]

Well organized, well armed Somali pirates hijacking commercial vessels does not equal a guy with a knife robbing you.

Did you know the pirates actually have a code of ethics (ironic as that may sound)? Why have they never raped or killed any of their hostages? Because all they want is money. Pay up, and the hostages get let go. Thats how their operation works.

Don't even try to compare that to a back alley robbery.

[Daniel_Newby]

Brigandry is brigandry. Whatever the scale, it is driven by the same lusts and impulses, and responds the same to rewards and punishments.