Piracy or Maritime Terrorism? Developing a Comprehensive U.S. Counter-Piracy Policy

In this post-9/11 world, maritime security has taken on a much greater importance than in the past. No longer can the U.S. rely on vast ocean expanses to protect its homeland from seaborne attack or think of maritime violence as a law enforcement problem. Modern piracy is as ruthless and violent as it has ever been, only nowadays the stakes are substantially higher and its instruments far deadlier. Global piracy and violence at sea are now national security threats and must be dealt with as such. Piracy and international terrorism are no longer mutually exclusive; one supports the other.