At first glance, it may seem that there are no comparisons to be drawn between instances of modern piracy and classic Caribbean piracy that do not immediately seem to be reaching, but this is not always the case. There are lessons to be learned from piracy as a trade and as a social movement that have timeless significance and value. Piracy has measurable social and economic pattern, and it may serve useful in modern times to examine the various forces driving piracy in the past.
A Pirate Economy
There is some disagreement among pirate scholar about how much effect economics has on piracy, there can be no argument that it plays a significant role in the nurture and development of individual pirates and pirate nations. David J. Starkey is one of the foremost proponents of this theory, suggesting that pirates are ultimately driven by market forces, and that the ultimate goal of piracy is to generate income. He suggests that it was market inefficiency that allowed Caribbean pirates to flourish, and that you can draw a direct comparison between the rise of Caribbean piracy and the disconnect between supply and demand. This view posits piracy as a purely parasitic endeavor, feeding off of a market that is strong enough to support it, yet too weak to end it.
It is not necessary to go into detail on the complexities of the argument, suffice to say that there are many elements in play in classical and modern piracy, and to diminish the part that human actors play would be a mistake. That being said, Starkey is absolutely correct about one thing – piracy requires the existence and the indulgence of a market to exist. As long as there are goods to procure and the rewards outweigh the risks, there will be piracy.
A Piracy Cycle
Now that we have established that an indulgent market is essential to the functioning of a pirate community, there is another interesting observation by a separate pirate historian that should be examined. Phillip Gosse suggests that there is a piracy cycle that most pirate communities follow – they evolve from coastal seagoing groups, to an organized society, eventually reaching the status of an independent state. The best examples of this were the pirates of the Barbary Coast, who created their own pirate polity from the successes of their raids. Most pirate groups do not make it this far, but the lesson is clear – the only thing stopping pirates from achieving political legitimacy is the power to enforce it.
The Threat of Piracy
The lessons to be learned from this are many, but there are a few that bear close examination. The modern world suffers little from the effects of Somali and Southeast Asian piracy, but this could quickly change. It has been written elsewhere about how we should deal with these threats, but allow this quick recap: Economics is a driving factor in piracy, and denying pirates financial gain from their illicit activities will go a long way toward ending the threat. Likewise, if they are not denied financial gain, the risk is increased of drawing more impoverished or disillusioned souls to the trade and worse, there is the threat of nurturing and creating an independent pirate polity – a rogue state built on the illegal gain of piracy.
References:
Phillip Gosse, The History of Piracy, Rio Grande Classic, 1932
David J. Starkey, "Pirates and Markets", Bandits at Sea, New York University Press, 2001
Robert Guthrie - Robert is an itinerant writer, reader and academic with a broad range of interests. In addition to writing for Suite 101, he writes for ...
