Somalian pirates must be stopped

Somalian pirates have captured a Saudi Arabian oil tanker off the coast of Kenya loaded with crude valued at 100 million dollars. "They must be stopped," writes The Times: "The stranglehold on the world's busy shipping lanes is pushing up insurance costs, risking lives ... and giving terrorists linked to al-Qaeda a robust income and a deadly way of striking at the West. ... New laws, new rules of engagement and new strategies are needed. US warships in the Gulf may need to be mobilised, not least to escort shipping bound for North America through the most dangerous waters. Authorisation for the use of force against armed raiders and their bases must be radically streamlined, and captured pirates must be made to face justice, however harsh the local laws. ... Somalia is a failed state, lawless and bankrupt. It must not be abandoned."

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