Rome and Piracy on the High Seas

Owing to my reading on Roman History pertaining to the time of Julius Caesar, here's another account of war against "terrorist activity." In the days when the Roman "Republic" was at its Zenith, the seas of the meditterenean were under the mercy of pirates who looted and pillaged at will. Rome, although a military super-power, never resorted to wielding an established Navy. In all campaigns involving transportation or warfare on the seas, they hired ships from "client" nations and fought naval battles much the same way as they would fight on land. Hence, Rome was decidedly not for patrolling the high seas (it wasn't what they were good at, nor in their interests.) It so happened that, Julius Caesar, then a member of the Roman senate was captured for Ransom by a pirate. The ransom was paid by the nearest Roman province and he was rescued. After some events that transpired, Caesar convinced the Roman senate to empower General Pompeii with money from its treasury to fight the pirate menace. (Rome never fought wars that did not acquire territory or increase the wealth of its treasury.) After a long argument, the Senate was finally convinced and Rome empowered Pompeii to end the Piracy menace in the high seas. He dealt with it in his own unorthodox style (he was no Naval admiral). But that put an end to piracy and rendered the seas safe for the public. Rome, the "Republic", a superpower in that time had intervened and on the call of its senate fought piracy expending resources and gaining just "greater good." The benefits to Rome were at best indirect.