Argument Against Piracy
Keid (Terran Free Press)
December 11, 2785
Ever since the Terran Republic has decided to sanction the actions of so called privateer groups I have been asked how I could be against the new policy. Proponents of using pirates try to make it seem like there are no disadvantages to allowing privateers to operate out of our bases and have so far done a good job of obscuring a small but vocal group that has been warning against this new course. Today I ask everyone how they could possibly be in favor of allowing pirates to operate from our space.
Often it is pointed out that nearly every other nation has been making liberal use of pirates. Indeed at the moment the only nation that has refused to sink to such a low level is the Draconis Combine. What is continually ignored is that Terra became its most powerful, heading the Star League while the other nations followed our lead, by staying above the common squabbles of the Successor States. While everyone else bludgeoned themselves to death during the Age of War our leaders were content to only carry out defensive operations while acting as a neutral party that worked to negotiate peace. Yet here we are lowering ourselves to such a common level; how can we ever expect anyone to follow our lead now?
Overlooked just as often is the fact that the Draconis Combine, the only nation to refuse to stoop to piracy, has been undoubtedly the most successful military power since the Star League’s collapse. Some might argue that they have been successful in spite of their refusal to allow privateers to operate from their planets, however if that is true it is also true that they have been successful in spite of being targeted by privateers from every direction. If this truly is such a successful policy than why is the Draconis Combine not in a full rout from having its supply lines plundered by House Steiner, House Davion, and House Cameron? Perhaps we should consider that privateers waste more resources than they bring to our nation.
Some have argued that with our nation weakened as it is the only recourse is to resort to piracy to strengthen ourselves while weakening our foes. I ask you, are we really so weak right now? True the Draconis Combine has taken a handful of worlds from us, but they have an established military and command structure while we have had to catch up and train our army. As bad as the loss of a few planets has been we have not suffered the same losses seen by House Davion, a much more established nation that today seems on the verge of collapse. If we are weak now we can only get stronger as our army becomes more experienced and we become able to bring our superior technology to the fore. We have taken a few losses, yes, but are far from beaten.
It has also been said that with resources in such short supply in the Terran Republic that privateers are too valuable to not use because of the goods they capture. While it is true we are currently in a tight spot when it comes to raw materials has anyone stopped to consider that it would likely be far faster and easier, not to mention more reasonable, to get supplies the same way we have for the past several centuries: through trade alliances. True nobody likes to be beholden to another nation for their supply lines, but if we can secure a robust resource trade with just two or three other states it is unlikely we will ever have a problem. The Successor States have shown in the past that they are unable to cooperate without some neutral party so it is impossible that they would all decide to cut us off at once. This will be especially true once our military has had a chance to solidify itself since which nation would want to risk alienating us and our advanced weaponry, possibly driving us to ally with one of their rivals?
For all these reasons I say we should immediately reverse the recent decision to allow privateers to operate inside our space. Some may say that we cannot afford to get rid of the privateers that “bravely” attack our foes’ supply lines, but I ask you can we afford to keep them? They damage our reputation, advertise weakness, and alienate potential allies. Are these problems that we want to have?