The New Pirates: Modern Global Piracy from Somalia to the South China Sea

(Hardback)

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Description

Piracy is a significant global threat to international sea-borne trade - the life-blood of modern industrial economies and vital for world economic survival. The pirates of today are constantly in the world's news media, preying on private and merchant shipping from small, high-speed vessels. Andrew Palmer here provides the historical background to the new piracy, its impact on the shipping and insurance industries and also considers the role of international bodies like the UN and the International Maritime Bureau, international law and the development of advanced naval and military measures. He shows how this 'new' piracy is rooted in the geopolitics and socio-economic conditions of the late-20th century where populations live on the margins and where weak or 'failed states' can encourage criminal activity and even international terrorism. Somalia is considered to be the nest of piracy, but hotspots include not only the Red Sea region, but also the whole Indian Ocean, West Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia and the South China Seas.

Reviews

'This is a masterful tome, intellectually robust and commendably pragmatic. It should be on the required reading list of politicians, senior naval and military officers, legal advisors and shipping owners.' Commodore Pat Tyrrell OBE Royal Navy 'Andrew Palmer has written the first, and so far only, book that gives an in-depth analysis of the modern scourge of piracy on the high seas.' Major General Julian Thompson, from the foreword to this book 'The New Pirates will become the definitive work on the subject and be an invaluable intellectual asset for scholars, students and practitioners in Government and the armed services. The author has worked on anti-piracy programmes and is an acknowledged expert in encountering this threat to maritime security' Professor Jack Spence OBE, King's College London

Author Bio

Andrew Palmer studied History at Hull University and holds an MBA. He has wide-ranging business experience with major international groups in defence industries in the Middle East and in advising and providing technical training for combating international piracy.