Pirates of the Caribbean

Going down to Davy Jone's Locker isn't my style. It doesn't matter whether the cause is a magically supercharged pirate ship like the Black Pearl, or little dinghies with armed to the teeth pirates carrying AK-47's. Both unnerve me. The most interesting thing about this map is not the traditional hotspots around Cuba or Kingston, Jamaica (fascinating novel by the guy who wrote Jurassic Park). It is the hotspot by Trinidad and Tobago. DO NOT go there in an unarmed yacht. According to the Correlates of War, the biggest cause of war and ethnic conflict is poverty. Terrorism and piracy count too. It's a way of making money when there is no money to be had. If people cannot find jobs, they will go and work for mafia organizations, terrorist organizations, gangs, and guerilla movements. If you have ever read Freakonomics, you will remember the drug dealer with a degree in business administration. It's kind of the same thing. Caribbean islands have little hope for due to the lack of industry, lack of investment capital, and large amounts of corruption. And if you think it's bad for functional states that depend on tourism such as Alaska, Hawai'i or California, think what the recent coronavirus pandemic and economic shutdowns on tourists is doing to the poor poor Caribbean.

Below: The rescue of Captain Phillips in 2009 after the hijacking of the Maersk Alabama off the coast of Somalia.