MeatyREADS

Pirates

October 16, 2008 – 1:17 pm by BH

Important differences remain between modern pirates and the old-school variety. For example, while 18th-century pirates were at war with all governments, some Somali pirates appear to enjoy state sponsorship, which makes them quasi-privateers. Further, unlike old-school pirates who more or less lived in their own outlaw world, the Somali variety appear to be better integrated with “regular” society.

If piracy remains profitable for a growing number of Somalis, we can expect modern pirates’ burgeoning society to grow and become more polity-like, inching closer yet to that of their forefathers.

That’s pirate expert Peter Leeson (NYT). As if there weren’t enough problems in the world right now.