From PRI, Public Radio International and KCRW Santa Monica, this is To the Point.

Piracy, the legacy of a failed state.

Hello again, I'm Armin Alney, and this is To the Point from Public Radio International,

a daily look of the issues Americans care about most.

In the hours since President

Obama promised to halt the rise of piracy, four more ships have been seized in the Indian Ocean.

Pirate leaders are threatening vengeance for those killed during French and American rescues.

How much longer can fishermen in motorboats defy history's most powerful navies? Can merchant vessels defend

themselves? Can military patrols be

increased? Is it time to take action on shore, either with force, or to deal with political chaos

and economic deprivation that are behind an epidemic of lawlessness at sea? On reporter's

notebook later on, the president reverses long-term restrictions on dealing with Cuba. First,

here's the news. Support for To the Point comes from subscribers of KCRW Santa Monica and from the Public

Radio International Program Fund, whose contributors include the Ford Foundation and the John

D. and Catherine T. McArthur Foundation. Hello again. Mormon-Aalny back with To the Point.

Four more ships have been attacked by Somali pirates who threatened vengeance for those killed during hostage rescues.

Today we'll hear how instability in the Horn of Africa has bred international crime.

Should the merchant nations resort to force or help the region solve long-term economic and political problems?

On reporter's notebook,

President Obama opens a crack in the door to engagement with Cuba. First, this news update and what the White House billed is a major speech on the economy today, President Obama warned

that despite massive efforts, economic recovery won't come easy.

2009 will continue to be a difficult year for America's economy, and obviously most difficult

...