I had not been too concerned with the intersection of terrorism and the sea until this week when I read a fascinating article, available, sadly, only in the print edition of the most interesting magazine in the world. Now, I see the threat everwhere. Most recently here, from the Washington Post:

The results of India's investigation, shared among a small circle of intelligence and defense analysts, offer an extraordinary glimpse into the shadowy world of weapons proliferation, in which missile parts and bomb materials circle the globe undetected, secreted away in cargo containers and suitcases, concealed by phony ship manifests and fictitious company names, eluding customs agents and defying international treaties.

The near complete lack of regulation of ocean shipping is troubling, to say the least. To take one example, the article I mention above discusses how an entire freighter, carrying thousands of tons of aluminum, was stolen by pirates. That's right. Pirates. And I don't mean this kind. If they can steal something that big, how hard can it be to sneak something small into the country?

Thank goodness for the recent good news on the terrorism front, which really has made me feel better.

UPDATE: More about pirates here, and here. Apparently, this is a serious problem.
- posted by Tom Sawyer @ 1:41 PM