Description
Piracy is a criminal enterprise that has existed, in all likelihood, since the time when mankind first took to the seas. It has existed in every corner of the world at one point or another, and its practitioners come from no specific race, creed, color, or social condition. Throughout history piracy, like a disease, manifests periodically when the correct conditions are present. Even when it is defeated the threat of it resurfacing is ever-present. Despite the pervasive nature of this threat, it is still a foe that must be resisted and defeated whenever it appears, even if that victory is only temporary, not only because of the potential for the loss of live and property, but also because of the major impact that piracy can have on areas such as the economy, national security, societal stability, and governmental viability. Studying the history of piracy has within it the potential for offering greater insight into striking against piracy in the present. This thesis looks at historical instances of piracy that have occurred in numerous locations across the world. It examines how they were prosecuted by the perpetrators and what elements led to them being either successful or unsuccessful. It examines the methods used by those attempting to thwart the activities of the pirates, which ones were successful, which ones were not, and what factors caused the success of failure. The lens through which this examination is taking place is a taxonomy originally constructed to examine the successes or failures of campaigns of terrorists, but extrapolated to examine the different yet related topic of piracy. Through studying these historical episodes we can gain greater understanding of the foe that piracy is and perhaps refine the tools and techniques that we use to battle it when it appears again.
