a private navy is going to fight piracy. ..

[capnsensible]

Business is booming for places running STCW 95 courses!!

The Personal Safety and Social Resposibilities section is particularly apt......

 

[Grumpybear]

I see how you got your user-name.

My point (which I am surprised requires elaboration) is that Top Nations may present themselves as altruistically filling the role of world policeman, but are prone to acting unethically in pursuit of their own interests. I am sure people will be able to think of more recent examples than the Opium Wars.

I understand. Apologies for any perceived grumpiness. I agree that superpowers and altruism rarely go together, but there are two exceptions of which the British should be proud.

The first is the campaign to stamp out the nternational slave trade, which was genuinely driven by altruism. It was prosecuted for most of the nineteenth century in the teeth of bad weather, armed opposition and expensive legal obstacles put there by all the other allegedly civilised nations of the earth who were determined to protect their own slaving interests, including of course, until the 1860s, the USA. As sailors we should salute the skill, courage and determination of the men who kept the seas, often in ship's boats in deep water many miles from their parent ships, and tackled heavily armed and ruthless slavers head on. Captain Bligh's epic voyage of the previous century was far from a one off.

The other campaign which stands comparison, in terms of achievement and seamanship challenges, is of course the surveying of the world's oceans. There was definitely a selfish motive, but the results were made universally available at reasonable cost.

 

[maxi77]

I understand. Apologies for any perceived grumpiness. I agree that superpowers and altruism rarely go together, but there are two exceptions of which the British should be proud.

The first is the campaign to stamp out the nternational slave trade, which was genuinely driven by altruism. It was prosecuted for most of the nineteenth century in the teeth of bad weather, armed opposition and expensive legal obstacles put there by all the other allegedly civilised nations of the earth who were determined to protect their own slaving interests, including of course, until the 1860s, the USA. As sailors we should salute the skill, courage and determination of the men who kept the seas, often in ship's boats in deep water many miles from their parent ships, and tackled heavily armed and ruthless slavers head on. Captain Bligh's epic voyage of the previous century was far from a one off.

The other campaign which stands comparison, in terms of achievement and seamanship challenges, is of course the surveying of the world's oceans. There was definitely a selfish motive, but the results were made universally available at reasonable cost.

The anti slavery work continued till after WW2 as slavery whilst no longer on the industrial scales of the US, was still prevalent in the middle and far east.