In January, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton advocated a new national security strategy entailing closer cooperation between the State Department, the military, government and civilian humanitarian agencies, and foreign allies. "Smart power," she called it. Just a month later, U.S. smart power is becoming a reality in one of the world's most troubled regions. Off the coast of Somalia, a country that hasn't had a functional government in 18 years, a Navy-led international humanitarian and training mission has joined a new, firepower-heavy counterpiracy fleet, while State Department negotiators play a key supporting role. What has emerged is a complex, sophisticated and, yes, smart approach to fighting piracy. In 2008, pirates captured around 100 large ships, ransoming them for a million dollars or more apiece. Several ships and their crews remain in captivity. The U.S. military and State Department have been heavily involved in promoting East African maritime security, but prior to February their efforts seemed to lack coordination.
War Is Boring: U.S. Navy Uses ‘Smart Power’ to Fight Pirates
