In March, 2011, in order to protect Libyan civilians NATO began air-attacks against Muammar Gaddafi’s pro-government forces. Soon after, Gaddafi said he would “unleash an unprecedented wave of immigration” on Europe. Since then, tens of thousands of refugees have been leaving North Africa, most often on boats hoping to offload their human cargo on the small island of Lampedusa, Sicily, Sardinia and even main-land Italy. Conditions on board most of these ships are deplorable; they’re seriously overcrowded, food is lacking, and few have toilets. A number of ships have capsized and others have...