session #9 - pirates arrrr

Question 1

piracy and privateering before modernity

Answer 1

prior to modernity: most trade over water (e.g. triangle trade with the Americas) -> attractive for piracy

• three principles of medieval international law (war is the norm, seas are no-mans-land, foreigners can be treated at will)
• piracy in times of peace
• privateering in times of war (pirates could become privateers: sanctioned to work for the state)

states could use piracy (peace: increase profits
war: increase size of armies)

Question 2

state formation and the monopolization of violence

Answer 2

• early 17th century: alliance against Turkish Corsairs
• 17th century: pirates as hostis humani generis (enemy of mankind) -> legally permitted to kill all pirates -> they were hunted down
• until mid 19th century: long end of privateering

Question 3

conflict pirates and states

Answer 3

main point/attribute to a state is the monopoly on violence
- piracy undermines this

Question 4

the resurgence/re-emergence of piracy
- features of modern piracy

Answer 4

• international definition of piracy
• typology of activities: taking cargo of large container ships, usually the workers on the ship aren’t harmed
• main ‘‘hotspots’’: Carribean, gulf of Guinea, golf of Eden (Somalia), Asia, West Africa (mainly in front of oil countries)

!dramatic reduction piracy in front of Somalia (2020 compared to 2013)

Question 5

definition of piracy

Answer 5

Any illegal act of violence or detention or any act of depredation, committed for private ends by the crew or the passengers of a private ship or a private aircraft

Question 6

factors of resurgence of piracy

Answer 6

• globalization: international exchange (langs arme landen -> piracy attractive), marginalization of periphery
• change in maritime business : ships are larger and larger + steeds minder crew
• diffusion of small arms
• environmental factors: drought, chemical and nuclear waste -> furthering problem of access to resources
• BREAKDOWN OF GOVERNANCE: little domestic sovereignty -> hard to fight piracy

Question 7

challenges of piracy

Answer 7

• economic costs
• endangering trade relations
• geopolitical and diplomatic tensions
• human costs: sometimes pirates kidnap crew or kill them

Question 8

counter-piracy and sovereignty
- the international response

Answer 8

1. reinforcing sovereignty (capacity building Somalia and Kenya)
2. enforcing neo-imperialism: multinational initiatives to protect against piracy
3. modern privateers: private military security companies on ships to protect the boats (PMSC: undermining the state: whose jurisdiction, which laws?)

Question 9

conclusion

Answer 9

• piracy and privateering are intimately related
• at stake is the question of state sovereignty
• the return of piracy is related to the increase of international trade
• responses to piracy both undermine and reinforce logics of sovereignty