Phony Blockade

During the Civil War, General Winfield Scott of the Union Army devised a naval strategy called the Anaconda Plan. This involved placing a constricting blockade on all Confederate seaports. Foreign observers, namely Britain, quickly called "Foul!" The laws of naval warfare only allowed a blockade of one country against another. The United States did not recognize the Confederacy, and so, said critics, was blockading itself. This, they said, would not do. In typical American fashion, the Lincoln administration and the Supreme Court quietly ignored this, and allowed the navy to cut off as much rebel shipping as possible. In the end, over fifty percent of Confederate shipping was stopped by the blockade. Valuable shipments of arms were seized, and exports from the Confederacy were halted. Historians now see the blockade as being vital to the Union war effort.


This past week, another blockade has been in the news: that of Israel's on the Gaza Strip. Some call it immoral, some may even call it illegal. The Israelis call it prudent, given that Hamas-run Gaza is a national security risk. They deem protecting their citizens to be the most important task of the government. Incidentally, so do the Egyptians, who are not getting any press on their support of the blockade. These countries, like the Civil War Union government, see the safety of their nations as more important than world opinion.

Turning now to Asia, we see another aquatic mishap: a North Korean sub torpedoes and sinks a South Korean warship in contested waters. And there is international uproar. Can't you hear it? No? Well, your hearing is not failing because there is none. South Korea vows to take North Korea to task, I mean, the UN. There the incident will fall victim to red tape, long winded speeches, and diplomatic doublespeak. In the meantime, forty-six families mourn the loss of their loved ones. More Koreans should prepare themselves to do the same, for when North Korea realizes that the world will not respond to their belligerence, they will be sure to be repeat offenders. Perhaps South Korea should opt for less public approval and more private security.