Swashbucklers

Today I learned about pirates in east Africa.

Langewiesche, William. 2009. The Pirate Latitudes. Vanity Fair, April.

This article was fun to read because it demonstrated the hollowing out of the nation-state's power, highlighting how point to point deals (e.g. ransom) often supersede the bureaucracy of state military. It also flirts with a whimsical take on the importance of food to the French, even when they're being sabotaged by pirates!