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The Houthis Are the New Barbary Pirates

(The Hill) Dov S. Zakheim - Beginning in 1784, shortly after America achieved its independence from Great Britain, raiders from the Ottoman provinces of Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli, known as the Barbary Pirates, would attack American merchant shipping, capturing sailors for whom they initially extorted ransom and subsequently protection money in the form of tribute from the U.S. For 15 years, American merchant ships were victims of unceasing harassment. Attempts to negotiate an arrangement that would put an end to this state-sponsored terrorism met with no success. In 1801, President Thomas Jefferson went to war against the Barbary states. By 1805, a series of American naval victories led to a peace treaty with the ruler of Tripoli. The U.S. defeated the forces of Algiers in 1815. Two centuries later, America is once again fighting a war overseas to protect its shipping, as well as that of its allies and friends. The Houthis are today's Barbary Pirates. The writer served as U.S. Deputy Undersecretary of Defense (1985-1987) and Undersecretary of Defense (2001-2004).
2025-03-25 00:00:00
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