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UNITED NATIONS — The rising crescendo of terrorism against America — from the World Trade Center carnage to the Middle East stands as a sorry signpost of our nation's fortunes. The danger and humiliation to which both Bin Laden network has gleefully subjected our citizens, our embassies, our ships, and our flag, remains an ominous symptom of an international malaise — Islamic fundamentalist hatred of America as a sovereign power.
The East African embassy bombings, the attack on the USS Cole, and the horrors of September 11th, are among Al Qaeda's calling cards. As the Bush Administration debates the next steps in the war on the hydra-headed menace of global terror, it's prudent to recall the dangers which confronted the young American Republic in the Middle East.
During the early 1800's, our nation's citizens were likewise subjected to the terrors of pirates and the potentates who very often condoned them. The Barbary Pirates exacted a terrible toll from unprotected and vulnerable American shipping in the Mediterranean; funds equaling twenty percent of the national budget were diverted to pay ransom and tribute to a string of North African pirate states.
Seeing the dangers of constantly submitting to the pirate chieftains, President Thomas Jefferson sent a strong naval force to the Mediterranean. Soon American vessels were chasing Arab corsairs — in July 1802, for example the USS Constellation fought and vanquished nine enemy vessels off Tripoli. Pirate chieftains soon saw that the Americans were not easily intimidated.
By 1803, the U.S. Navy's Mediterranean Squadron numbered nine ships. On one occasion the Philadelphia under Captain William Bainbridge's command, chased a pirate vessel into the Bay of Tripoli. The American frigate unfortunately ran aground and was soon captured. Some 300 Americans including Captain Bainbridge were captured — some sold into slavery. The Philadelphia, was later floated and used by enemy forces.
Using a commando-type operation, American Naval forces responded. Lt. Stephen Decatur, captured a Moorish ship, the Mesticcah. Shortly thereafter, Lt. Decatur and his men slipped, dressed as pirates, into Tripoli harbor. Within a short time the US forces had retaken the Philadelphia after overcoming the pirate crew. The Philadelphia was soon burned as to deprive the enemy of American booty.
Decatur's bold action into the enemy lair gained tremdeous respect among freind and foe. Lord Nelson of the British Admiralty called the operation, "the most bold and daring action of the age," a genuine compliment from a man whose word in naval matters was gospel. While the Tripoli pirates continued holding American hostages, the pirates soon realized the folly of holding these "damned Yankee's."
In Spring 1805, the hostages still languished in captivity. An American diplomat in Tunis decided to launch an expedition to free the captives and break the back of Tripoli's terrorism once and for all. Operating with a small force of 16 US Marines, Greek mercenaries, and Arabian loyalist cavalry, the Americans set upon the pirate port of Derna. Following a path for hundreds of miles across the Libyan desert, the American force surprised and overran Derna.
The American naval presence combined with innovate military ground operations soon brought the pirates to their knees — the hostages were rapidly released and demands for further tribute were dropped. As a stroke of poetic justice, Captain Bainbridge oversaw the terms of the pirate surrender.
History has a curious way of repeating itself. Modern day Libya roughly corresponds to the Barbary States of old — Tripoli is the same city which once hosted pirate corsairs and in recent years international terrorists. Osama Bin Laden's contemporary Barbary pirates now try to hold America hostage in different ways — through violence and fear. Regimes such as Afghanistan and Iraq will reap the righteous retribution they have sown.
Two centuries ago, at the time of the Philadelphia's capture, America was indeed a different nation — an infant power in a world of Kings, Princes, and Sultans. We didn't have carrier battle groups, B-52's , smart bombs, and a maze of military satellites and eavesdropping measures. Elaborate satellite pictures were not fed back to command centers thousands of miles away from battlefields. When faced with national crisis, the taking of US hostages or the pillage of American property — all the young Republic had to rely on were wooden ships and iron men. The rest of the world took careful note.
John J. Metzler is a U.N. correspondent covering diplomatic and defense issues. He writes weekly for World Tribune.com.
