At war with pirates on the high seas

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Oil giant Saudi Aramco will probably have to hand over millions of dollars to ransom its ship and crew, but that's not the most vexing thing about the attack. It comes even as international warships and private security contractors have been flocking to the Somali coast in response to the risein piracy, to little avail. Pirates have responded to the increased security in their usual hunting grounds in the Gulf of Aden by shifting farther southeast into the vast Indian Ocean, which is all but impossible to patrol.

What's more, although NATO warships, the U.S. 5th Fleet and ships from Russia and India have been successful in overtaking pirate vessels, they're seldom sure what to do with them. No country has yet been willing to try or imprison the captured pirates, who are often simply returned to their boats after their weapons are seized. That's not exactly a powerful deterrent.

The real problem, naval commanders agree, is that piracy is the most lucrative thing going in Somalia, a war-torn failed state that has been without a functioning government (or much of an economy) since 1991. While stepped-up sea patrols can help, they say, what's needed is more intervention on shore. History suggests they're right; the notorious 17th century Tortuga buccaneers ceased their raids when career opportunities arose in logging and other Caribbean industries. There aren't any easy solutions for Somalia's many problems, but now that its woes are threatening world oil supplies, it seems a good time to start trying some hard ones.