Somali Piracy: Amazing But Predictable

Hey, I'm a big fan of pirate art like this magnificent Howard Pyle painting, but these thugs weren't worthy of romanticizing back then and certainly aren't now.

While no one would mistake a Somali pirate for Jack Sparrow, I have been wondering why takeovers of ships like the U.S. freighter briefly held yesterday (the ship's captain is still a hostage at this writing) have become so commonplace and the world's navies seem so ineffectual.

The answer is here and here.

Hat tip to Newshoggers