[PapaBear3625]

The pirates are not terrorists, they are in it for the ransom money. Make the risk high enough, and the profits from successful hijackings low enough, and piracy will disappear.

I would go with a doctrine where being if a passing ship is approached by fast-moving armed Somalis, then that is sufficient to blow the Somalis away. A couple of Predators armed with rockets could patrol the length of the Somali coast and keep things clear of pirates fairly cheaply. I'm sure the ship insurance companies would be happy to pay somebody for that.

[Texan5]

I would think insurance companies would buy into that in a heartbeat-no risk to any humans except the bad guys, no liability, no potential for a lawsuit. Sounds like a winner to me.

I’ve read and heard that a number of those pirates are connected to terrorist organizations and funnel ransom money to them for terrorist activities. If true, while they might not be terrorists in the most literal sense, they are complicit in those activities.