US 'Discovers' Maritime Seizures, Ignores Its Own Pirate Past
When the US targets a Venezuelan oil tanker, suddenly maritime law is swift and decisive. Attorney General Merrick Garland declared the US can indeed 'seize a vessel carrying illicit oil.' This legal maneuver, we are told, is both righteous and necessary. Missing from the triumphant pronouncements, however, is the long, sordid history of US and allied naval actions that make this 'discovery' less
about new legal precedent and more about selective enforcement. Where was this newfound seafaring prowess when Saudi Arabia blockaded Yemen, or when Israel maintained its naval blockade on Gaza for over 17 years? One might wonder why Washington's moral compass only points to the 'illicit' activities of adversaries. The silence on state-backed privateers operating against nations like Cuba, Iran,
or indeed, Palestine, is deafening. Perhaps the 'rules-based international order' is more flexible than advertised, especially when Washington is the rule-maker and enforcer, determining who is a pirate and who is merely engaging in 'freedom of navigation' – or, in this case, selective confiscation.