While a number of European governments are preparing the EU’s mission against rampant pirate activities around the shore of Somalia, officials increasingly pose the question of what should be done with the pirates once they have been caught. This question has recently caused practical problems for a number of countries. It is reported that the commander of a Danish frigate, who had seized a pirate vessel, released the crew shortly afterwards, as he did not know what to do with them. Similarly, after having rescued a private yacht, which had been kidnapped by pirates, the French navy decided to simply…