Arrr.

Pirates are back.

Like the pirates of old, modern pirates are no laughing matter. They plunder, kidnap, and in some cases, kill. And from the looks of things, the civilized world doesn't seem to know what to do with them.

What can be done?

The Wall Street Journal's Bret Stephens has a novel idea from the past: kill 'em.

By the 18th century, pirates knew exactly where they stood in relation to the law. A legal dictionary of the day spelled it out: "A piracy attempted on the Ocean, if the Pirates are overcome, the Takers may immediately inflict a Punishment by hanging them up at the Main-yard End; though this is understood where no legal judgment may be obtained."

Severe as the penalty may now seem (albeit necessary, since captured pirates were too dangerous to keep aboard on lengthy sea voyages), it succeeded in mostly eliminating piracy by the late 19th century -- a civilizational achievement no less great than the elimination of smallpox a century later.

Unfortunately, duking it out with pirates on the high seas isn't always a viable option. The Gulf of Aden, the locus of current pirate activity, is a major transportation corridor for oil. When pirates attempt to hijack a tanker full of flammable gold, engaging in a firefight may not have pleasant consequences. In any case, once pirates have captured a vessel, military action will probably end in the death of innocent hostages.

I'm not an expert on the issue, but I'm guessing that if we want to take out the bad guys, the fight will have to take place on land. As long as pirates can take refuge in Eyl, and other lawless Somali cities, they'll keep coming back for booty. Whether anyone has the will to engage in a messy ground conflict in Somalia is another question.