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Somali pirates strike again… taking at least 20 Americans hostage.  It is the first piracy incident involving American hostages in recent memory.

The Dutch-owned Maersk Alabama is operated by an American company... It was headed to Kenya with aid in the form of food.

FOX News looks at the recent spike in pirate activity:

“They’re so organized they have a spokesperson who will come out and update us on their progress and their positions.  There were about 15 pirate attacks just last month.  And the pirates are currently holding over 150 vessels and their crews hostage.  Over 150.”(FOX News)

MSNBC reports it’s almost impossible for naval patrols to protect all shipping routes:

“They’ve established this corridor where most cargo ships go through and are fairly well protected.  But this was some three hundred miles away from that and the pirates are good at sort of going after the stragglers.”  (MSNBC)

Foreign Policy magazine lists reasons for pirating in Somalian waters, noting:

“Most sobering of all -- the pirates might be pirating because there is little else they can do. Somalia's situation is famously desperate… These days, pirating looks like a stable living.” (Foreign Policy)

So what is driving some to turn to piracy on Africa’s coast?  Is the UN doing enough to stop the pirates?