Chinese vs. the pirates

Posted By Thomas E. Ricks Monday, December 22, 2008 - 3:15 PM Share

Not long ago I was having an argument with some military strategists about what, if anything, the United States should do about Somali pirates. The strategists tended to say that it isn't our problem. My view was that it was partly our problem, because so much of the oil we consume passes through those waters en route from the Persian Gulf, and also that we have an interest in law and order on the high seas. My secondary argument was that if we didn't, someone else would. Now I see that the Chinese are sending three ships to help patrol the area off Somalia. "This is shaping up to be a key step in China's rise as a great power," comments John McCreary in NightWatch.