I don't know why these threads get polluted with posts from Freepers who think the current U.S. foreign/military policy environment in the Middle East is comparable to the Jefferson administration's actions regarding the Barbary States.
They were also preying on ships of other nations. In 1815 US Navy ships teamed up with British and Dutch warships to fight the Barbary pirates.
That's only because: (1) all three nations happened to be facing a common threat, and (2) it was not uncommon for civilian cargo ships in those days to travel in convoys with ships from multiple nations.
None of this is applicable to the world today, because U.S. commercial shipping is almost non-existent in international trade.
I don't know why these threads get polluted with posts from Freepers who think the current U.S. foreign/military policy environment in the Middle East is comparable to the Jefferson administration's actions regarding the Barbary States. They were also preying on ships of other nations. In 1815 US Navy ships teamed up with British and Dutch warships to fight the Barbary pirates. That's only because: (1) all three nations happened to be facing a common threat, and (2) it was not uncommon for civilian cargo ships in those days to travel in convoys with ships from multiple nations. None of this is applicable to the world today, because U.S. commercial shipping is almost non-existent in international trade. No, the threat is very similar to that posed by the Barbary pirates. US commercial shipping may be nonexistent today, but we and our allies still depend heavily on maritime commerce, and the Red Sea is one of the world's busiest and most vital waterways.