NATO warships passing through the Suez Canal. A spate of high-profile hijackings by Somali pirates has spurred western navies into action but experts argue that a handful of warships can do little to stamp out the lucrative piracy business.(AFP/Po Luigi Cotrufo)
Will NATO Navies Stop Somali Pirates? -- Time Magazine
France notched an important victory against the pirates who plague commercial shipping off the Horn of Africa, when it arrested nine of them at sea during a raid near the Gulf of Aden. But the roots of Somalia's piracy problem lie in the breakdown of state authority on land, which is why many questioned just how effective the French Naval action — or the NATO patrols due to begin in the coming days — will be in curbing the pirates. The nine nabbed by the French, after all, were stripped of their weapons and then handed over to the very Somali authorities who have failed to keep them under control in the first place.
"After obtaining assurances from the local officials in Somalia that they'd be put on trial and that their human rights would be respected, we delivered them to the custody of local authorities," said French Defense Ministry spokesman General Christian Baptiste. "This operation is sending a message to pirates in the region that continuing their activity will be getting more dangerous and expensive for them."
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My Comment:The answer is ..... probably not. The ocean is a big place, and the Somali pirates are far smarter than what NATO's political masters may feel is appropriate in the region.