Prosperous Piracy: Contemporary Maritime Economics and Politics in Two Case Studies

In this thesis, I investigate the global trends in politics, economics, society, and culture surrounding piracy. I begin by summarizing the regional distribution of piracy over the past 20 years. I analyze this distribution, and establish that Indonesia and Somalia are the most macroeconomically significant. I dedicate two chapters to Somalia and Indonesia and the inverse relation between the number of attacks in them. I analyze the economic circumstances that surround piracy, especially in Indonesia, in order to find a way to prevent piracy in the long run. My findings suggest that the most effective way to combat piracy is to solidify local political hegemony