End of the pirate world as we know it ...

Malaysian authorities think that can stamp out piracy for good in the Malacca Straits, the poster child for pirate infested waters before the Somali pirates burst onto the scene.

Abdul Rahim Hussein, undersecretary of maritime security policy, said cooperation between the neighboring states of Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore is now 'at a new peak'.

It's hard to argue with success. There have been no incidents in the strait this year, a big drop from 2004 when there were 38 (recorded) pirate attacks. The Malacca Straits is a critical pipeline for global commerce, carrying a quarter of the world's traded goods.

Unfortunately, there aren't many lessons for dealing with the Somali pirates. East African states cannot muster either the resources or the will to fight the pirates in the way the Southeast Asian nations around the Malacca Straits can. Solutions in Somalia need to take into account the realities on the ground.