T-W,
Yes, fair point, there is more African coast than West Africa, even “several hundred years ago” which I was taking to mean “more than two”. I wasn’t really thinking of the Moroccan coast or east Africa. I suppose the East India company must indeed have had to sail round Africa. (D’oh) My knowledge of privateers is hopelessly skewed in terms of historical periods and locations.

However, like you, I can’t see the relevance to Somalian piracy and I certainly can’t see licensing privateers as a good step forward in the 21st century.

I will try to temporarily ignore the fact that “several hundred years ago,” English trade off the coast of Africa was the Triangle Trade (manufactured goods taken from England to Africa; slaves from Africa to the Americas; and sugar from the American plantations back to England.) All the same, this could hardly be seen as “trade” in any good sense.

To be fair to the obscure Maryland professor, trade along the North African coast was a lot more than just slaves – and was regularly attacked by pirates. The piracy rates on the North African routes led to one of the United States first overseas “interference” wars and is still enshrined in the hymn of the US Marines (“Shores of Tripoli” part). The Barbary pirates were certainly a force in the region until relatively recently.

Not sure what this has to do with Somalia or the Gulf of Aden though.