It's easy to jump to the solution of killing the pirates and I can understand doing it. Revenge, deterrent and that lovely satisfaction that a reactionary gets when he knows someone else somewhere has to take a human life in a brutal and messy manner.
But the fact that various governments are not jumping to that conclusion not only indicates that for all their faults governments are still at least trying to be civilised but maybe it just isn't that simple as sending a SSM straight at the pirates convoys of armed inflatable lilos and assorted fishing vessels and stolen boats.
Maybe there is the possibility of innocent friendly casualties? The French fired on a hijacked yacht today and killed a couple of pirates but also a hostage. I'm sure the pirates are smarting from that method of conflict resolution but the hostage is dead too - but no worries because it isn't your family is it?
Then maybe there is the issue that if the pirates were killed & if the hostages got off OK that somewhere else in the mess that is that part of Africa retribution would be taken on other innocents.
Of course our governments never negotiate with terrorists - but the what is the desired out come of the situation? To blow up a pirate and leave a few heavily injured with blood, snot and brains covering the remains of the pirate vessel as a warning to other pirates - or to safely get back the innocent crew, the vessel and the valuable cargo?
Of course it'd be great to get one of our navies Big Fancy Killing Systems and blow up some pirates but descending to their level of criminal nastiness might not actually help unless we can target them accurately with minimal chance of negative fall out.And in my experience god rarely gets involved and sorts it out - he leaves the messy business, burials and medical care, insurance payouts and legal issues n stuff to humans. Slacker that he is.