Is America now a Barbary pirate?

The Iran War continues to turn unexpectedly. One recent twist surprised much of the world: President Trump announcing a 20 percent toll for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. The very next day, he changed his mind. Rightfully so. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was on record stating that such action violates international law. 

Nonetheless, Trump’s announced replacement plan is problematic. Although accepting financial investments from the Gulf States in lieu of these tolls may be legal, Trump is still flouting a core principle held by the U.S. since its inception. In doing so, he flies in the face of the origin stories of two branches of our military, negates American efforts in two world wars and flips a position taken by the United States in the Middle East during the Cold War. 

In short, it would upend almost 250 years of America’s history as a beacon for commercial freedom.

From Trump’s perspective, accepting these as-yet unspecified investments is a means of defraying the costs of American military presence in the region. It fits with his transactional approach to policymaking. But this perspective misses the larger point and reverses what America has traditionally symbolized.

Part of the U.S. Navy’s mission statement is to “keep the seas open and free.” This task and purpose traces back to its very creation. Although there had been a Continental Navy during the American Revolution, it disbanded by 1785. However, within 10 years, it became clear that a naval arm was necessary due to an extortion scheme perpetrated by four semi-independent states along the Barbary Coast of North Africa.

These states, dubbed Barbary pirates,........

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