No Surrender to Somali Pirate Thugs

Obama should continue to treat Somali pirates as military foes rather than as quaint Captain Hooks

AP

Suspected pirates are escorted by a Kenyan police officer during their court appearance in Mombassa, Kenya.

Have we awakened a sleeping giant or stood up, at long last, to a local bully? President Obama's decision last weekend to authorize force against the Somali pirates holding Captain Richard Phillips brought the end of a crisis, but it may be the beginning of a longer military effort. This year pirates have attacked dozens of vessels in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden, which leads into the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. Egged on by generous ransom payments, they're holding more than 300 sailors hostage. Phillips, captain of the Maersk Alabama, was the first one taken off...

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