These people do not fight for their territory, natural resources, or some civil rights of their natives. They just follow pirates that operated on the seas a long time ago, however, being better equipped and armed with modern weapons. Pirate attacks cannot be even called a war or conflict because they can assault any vessel on their way. Specificity is that pirates do not have any governmental authority except a leader. This lack of strict regulations and a simple desire for profit make them cause a lot of troubles and hardships to the region and their victims, citizens of other countries. Even more, the operation of pirate groups in any region lowers its international transportation image and makes it a dangerous territory for trade. Piracy in North and East Africa has similarities and differences but the impact on society is nearly the same since it has internal and external consequences for both regions and international authorities together with effects on local and foreign economies 

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Having a preferable geographical position for trade and shipping between the East and West, the African territory faced the piracy phenomenon a long time ago. Since the beginning of the seventeenth century, local pirates of the Barbary Coast of North Africa had been attacking ships. They did not only hunt in local waters, but reached the British territory for better profiting. Moreover, they did not only rob ships but imprisoned people for slavery. Thus, nearly 9,000 men and women had been captured till the eighteenth century (Davis, 2011). Along the coastline, they ruined villages and settlements capturing natives for being slaves. The organization of victims’ release from Tunis or Algeria was not properly managed at those days, and thousands of Dutch, British, and German people had worked for years for their masters waiting for a buyback (Davis, 2011). Moreover, the pirate position in the local seas was so strong that it influenced the whole trade market that connected Africa with Eurasia. The situation with pirates was so complicated that European countries rather paid tribute for passage through the Mediterranean area than fought against them (McNamara, 2018). Likewise, to make their political position stronger, Arab governors often sponsored pirates to attack European or American ships. Later, the territories of North Africa, or Barbary states, started offering protection from their pirates to European countries. Thus, applying various, sometimes tricky, political tactics, they often broke assurances (Kempe, 2010). The whole process of diplomatic relationships was established only for the confirmation of North African corsair states by Europe as sovereign territories. However, this independence remained in part because these lands had been still under the Ottoman Empire. The European and American recognition of sovereignty had not lasted for a long time. By applying various diplomatic tricks and political enforcement to governments of this region, European diplomats affected its political and economic weakness by accusations of piracy. For instance, using “legalized” pirates, Europe could accuse African countries of assaults and criminalized national resistance as piracy. It ended with the French occupation of Algeria in 1830 (Kempe, 2010). Therefore, piracy was and is still a specific tool of political international pressure and affairs regulated by laws.

At present time, piracy is not a popular theme for highlighting and discussion. However, it has remained one of the global issues. As pirates operate mainly on the major sea routes that connect Americas and Eurasia, they threat marine transportation and trade. Policing vast ocean territories requires large funding, technical equipping, and international coordination (Dillinger, 2018). Likewise, pirate gangs of various sizes have different operating tactics. Thus, bigger groups tend to attack small fishing and cargo ships that are easy to sell on the black market and rarely target big cruise ships that are properly guarded. Due to the lack of resources, smaller groups of pirates are focused on kidnappings in order to gain monetary profit for exchange. However, now the Mediterranean area is not considered a piracy region (the last attack was recorded in 2008 in Corsica) (Grewal, 2010). Because of a favorable geographical position and closeness to developed European counties, this region is more stable in political and economic aspects. Therefore, piracy here now does not influence society and economy significantly. Though, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) (2010) has played a significant role in prevention of marine attacks in this region. Thus, this organization uses a network of human intelligence to predict the spread of piracy further in North Africa. Now the problem in the North African region is presented by minor robberies in ports, illegal immigration, or affairs with drugs. It has been still threating the security of European countries and America. For instance, Morocco is one of the main cannabis producers and a transitional point of many drug routes from Africa to Europe (Grewal, 2010). Likewise, the NATO’s Science for Peace and Security Programme established in Tunisia, a coastal marine county in North Africa, works on crisis management and involves all levels for piracy prevention (NATO, 2010). Thus, the application of a better policy, formulation of evaluation criteria, security awareness of crews, and an increase in inter-agency cooperation will help to guard this strategic region.

Piracy in Eastern Africa is still one of the global issues as its transitional marine routes connect Africa with European and Asian markets. At the end of the twentieth century, when the dictator’s government collapsed, the national navy was ruined diminishing the guarding system of Somalia. Regional leaders in Puntland organized armed “coast guards” that collected fees from interlopers that fished in coastal waters (Moore, 2018). Later, such situation evolved in serious attacks on international vessels. Particularly, in Somalia, it has been a significant, even international problem since 2000 (Dillinger, 2018). The main reason for the appearance of national pirate gangs was political instability in the country that led to the disappearance of the coast guard. This situation was favorable for big international ships to enter Somali territorial waters illegally. Attacks on vessels made by local pirates became a rather profitable business that later only grew stronger. It makes Somalia occupy the second place based on the number of pirate attacks (Dillinger, 2018). Heavily armed gangs of Somali pirates that did not only rob vessels but also took their crew hostages became a national and international problem during the first decade of the 21th century (W.B., 2018). Across the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, and the Arabian Sea, pirate attacks were registered nearly every day. The situation of robberies and kidnappings has become of international interest because the Gulf of Aden leads to the Suez Canal that serves about 10% of global trade shipping (W.B., 2018). The specificity of piracy in this region is that pirates capture ships for venture and expand their activity deeply to the Indian Ocean but not only along the coastline (“Piracy in Africa,” 2014). The situation improved after the campaign introduced by the UN Security Council concerning implementing armed guards, barbed wire, and special training of crew members of merchant ships. However, the situation will remain unstable until the reorganization of the Somalia’s government that causes a lot of social difficulties. Thus, strong authority will be able to regulate national guarding services properly and hold partner relationships with international bodies regarding anti-piracy regulations (Monks, 2018). Likewise, the exhaustion of national fish stocks by new coming ships that cause famine across the country is one of the reasons for pirate attacks that tend to defend their native marine territories.

As to the comparison of piracy in North and East Africa, except illegal attacks themselves, it has some differences. The issue in the Mediterranean area of the North African coast has more than 300 years of its history, while along the East Africa coast, it has started comparatively recently, at the end of the twentieth century (Monks, 2018). Moreover, in the first case, except monetary ones, piracy had social, relational, and political reasons and consequences for the region, European countries, and America. Further, such a long period of tyranny almost without punishment represents weak diplomatic relationships between countries at those times in facing one enemy. At present, due to greater political and economic stableness of North Africa and closeness to developed European countries, it is not considered a piracy region unlike East Africa with political and economic insecurity (Monks, 2018). The rise of piracy along the eastern coast mainly affects the local economy and the Suez Canal, which is one of the most important transitional points. The reason for its emergence was the political and social crisis in Somalia that destroyed all marine guards. It made international vessels use its waters for fishing that had a harmful effect on the local food supply. Moreover, poverty and the lack of job places made people involved in a rather profitable but criminal marine robbery. At present, it does not only have a negative effect on countries nearby but on global trade as well. However, now with properly organized international cooperation and various treaties, for instance, BMP4, the establishment of the Maritime Security Centre Horn of Africa and the United Nations (UN) Office on Drugs and Crime regulations, pirate attacks have been successfully overcome (Monks, 2018). However, regional political instability lowers the international control over piracy, and only with the incensement of the political system of coastal countries, the problem can be solved.

As any social and illegal activity, piracy has causes and consequences that effect societies of the North and East African regions and the world. The reasons for its emergency are political instability in countries, corruption of their governments, and the poor management of coast guard systems. Among social reasons that increase this crime activity, there are such factors as the lack of education and an involvement in cyclical poverty, which have been lasting for several generations (Monks, 2018). Piracy has become a sort of severe and illegal trade with the lack of proper job offers. Similarly, this social phenomenon has something in common with a civil war, where there are no national or international regulations. These reasons mark the instability of the social organization of the countries of Northern and Eastern Africa. Furthermore, pirate attacks can be supported by local governments and add to the national income as the issue is a very profitable business. Such support of this criminal activity in gaining profit makes the phenomenon of piracy a complicated issue. Thus, on the one hand, it develops the national economies of the coastal countries, but from the other perspective, it does economic and environmental harm to other states and threats lives of many people and victims. Such unstableness caused by this controversial issue needs to be regulated seriously. Now, with an improvement in the technical base, international marine cooperation, and diplomatic relationships among counties that are involved in marine trade, pirate attacks are no longer a significant threat as it has been before. However, as long as illegal businesses, drug market or operations on the black market are a matter of someone’s interest, they will be supported (Monks, 2018). That is why piracy is one of the global issues that were and still exist and involves deeper questions like morality and humanism.

The phenomenon of piracy does not only have an effect the local region but on far distant territories as well. For instance, more than 80% of world’s trade operations involve sea routes, where pirate activity harms transportation significantly. It causes companies to change suitable marine ways that cost additional sums (Neethling, 2010). North African attacks that have taken place since the sixteenth century have affected mainly the regional economy, while in the Eastern African region that has one of the most important transitional points of the Suez Canal, they impact the international economy and trade. Additionally, piracy threats to the eastern local economy of Kenya, Mozambique, and Tanzania that impact import, export, shipping, fishing, and tourism (Neethling, 2010). In Somalia, it is a very profitable activity. Such people run a significant part of local business that makes them a negative but attractive example for citizens to join pirate gangs. Because of poverty, sometimes crime activity is the only way to survive. Moreover, ship owners are forced to increase their security systems while sailing through pirate regions that require more expenses. Similarly, necessities to change marine routes for safer ones require additional days of sailing and extra expenditures on fuel (International Transport Workers’ Federation [ITF], 2013). It shows the environmental impact of piracy. Thus, rocket-propelled grenades that use many pirate vessels in the case of tanker damage cause the oil pollution of the sea. Though, now piracy has some other causes that need other reactions. Thus, except for poverty or a struggle for national liberation or being marionettes of politicians, it receives the form of a rather profitable business supported by local governments and the African diaspora in Europe, Asia, and America (ITF, 2013). As it involves kidnapping and trade on the black market, it relates piracy to international terrorism that can be only fought against on the international level by mutual efforts.

In brief, piracy was and is still one of the global issues. Though in the past, it had other forms and causes due to regional peculiarities. Reasons for the emergence of piracy are mostly the same in both regions that only differ due to current circumstances. Thus, in North Africa that is now conditionally free from piracy has been historically a significant transitional player on the trade market to Europe. This activity has played political, religious, and economic roles in international relationships. Likewise, it is less connected to such social problems as poverty, low level of education or political instability, from which the countries of Eastern Africa suffer. Now, due to closer connections among nations united by trade, pirate attacks have expanded far behind the regions of their origin. They do not only have local effects by lowering import and export rates, infringing citizens economically, increasing crime rates, or spoiling the international image and attractiveness for tourists. Now, piracy has become a rather profitable international business that is sometimes supported by local governments and international terrorist organizations. Only coordination among countries and an increase in local political and economic stability will lower the number of pirate attacks.