Barack Obama Must Respond to Threats to American Citizens by Pirates

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123923550659203341.html

As for the U.S., too often the operative language in dealing with pirates has been "no controlling legal authority," in part because, until now, all of the hijacked ships have operated under foreign flags. The case of the Maersk Alabama was (or would have been) clearly different. Still, the price the civilized world has paid for dispensing with the old Ciceronian wisdom that pirates were hostis humani generis -- enemies of the human race -- can probably now be counted in billions of dollars.

We don't advocate reverting to Roman methods (e.g., crucifixion) for dealing with pirates, though the Administration could apply the Stephen Decatur standard by bombing the Somali pirate city of Eyl. U.S. law is clear that pirates who attack U.S. flag ships deserve life in prison. But treating captured pirates as enemy combatants unworthy of Geneva Convention protections would help in cases where pirates attack foreign-flagged ships and international law is now more ambiguous.

Pirates cannot be allowed to prey on American-flagged ships.  If caught in the act, the US Navy should engage them with deadly force.  I have no problem with summary execution at sea for a pirate.  We don't need to bring them back to America and take care of them in our jails.  We need to put them out of business permanently.

No ransom should be allowed to be paid by any American company.  Negotiations and ransom only encourage the next act of piracy.  We may not be able to save everyone on a captured merchant ship, but we can discourage the next pirate from taking an American ship.  We don't need to wait for the UN or international consensus (who exactly is in favor of piracy?), we need to be resolute and unflinching.  Ask ourselves, what would Thomas Jefferson do?

We also need to go after the safe havens that allow these pirates to establish bases.  A few cruise missiles might be good enough to send the message that American ships are off limits.