( CNN ) -- U.S. President Barack Obama won a battle against Somali pirates . But does he really want to go to war ? The USS Bainbridge tows a lifeboat in which the captain of the Maersk Alabama was held hostage . You may have seen the headlines in the last few days : a Somali pirate attack and hostage-taking ended with a precision operation by U.S. snipers and a successful rescue . Somali pirates have been the scourge of the Horn of Africa for years . They 've attacked dozens of ships and taken hundreds of hostages from several countries . The attack on the Maersk Alabama was the first on an American ship . But when it was over , Obama made a particularly broad pledge . `` We are resolved to halt the rise of piracy in that region , '' Obama said . `` We 're going to have to continue to work with our partners to prevent future attacks . We have to continue to be prepared to confront them when they arise . '' See an interactive map of 2009 pirate attacks off the Horn of Africa » . Experts say that means addressing the anarchy ashore which allows the pirates to operate . Somalia is a failed state , where lawlessness is a license for every kind of criminal enterprise . James Christodoulou of Industrial Shipping Enterprises Corporation told CNN that if the US wants to do something about piracy , it has to `` go to Somalia and deal with the cause there . Whether it 's with bullets or butter , the solution lies on land not at sea . '' The U.S. tried once before to impose order in Somalia , with disastrous results . It led a humanitarian mission to oversee the delivery of food aid that turned into an armed operation against local warlords . More than 40 U.S. personnel were killed before U.S. forces withdrew . That 's the challenge facing the leader of every nation whose ships have fallen prey to the pirates . An international effort has been underway to patrol the troubled waters . The French navy has been particularly active . But no one has rushed onto Somali soil . The Obama administration is already managing wars in two countries . Wait and see whether it 's really willing to risk a third .
President Obama says U.S. is committed to tackling piracy off Somalia . Hostage captain of Somalia cargo ship rescued in U.S. Navy operation years . But experts say tackling piracy on seas means tackling failed state of Obama . With wars in two countries , is U.S. willing to risk getting involved in another ?