Cutthroat Capitalism

It turns out the the story about Russian luxury yachts taking people to hunt pirates off the coast of Somalia was a hoax. Doesn't the world suddenly seem like a sadder, emptier place?

Well, we'll have to settle for the digital next-best. To accompany a feature about the new pirate menace and its economic implications, Wired released a Somali pirate simulation today: Cutthroat Capitalism.

Of course, Reason has been all over the pirate econ beat, with a fat review of George Mason economist Pete Leeson's new book The Invisible Hook here, and the story of how he hooked a wench for life here.

Comments

[B]

That pirate-hunting from a yacht scheme sounds awesome. I can guarantee you if that really did take place, you wouldn't be able to find a yacht big enough to hold all the people who would sign up.

[stubby]

So, my BIL's idea of a party boat/gun cruise, hanging drugs and jewelry off the side of the boat and yelling "Here, pirate pirate pirate" is still good...

he's an international arbitration lawyer who used to work for the UN. I can't imagine what they thought of him.

[R C Dean]

I wonder what, if any, laws of the sea would be violated by a private ship cruising in pirate waters, prepared to defend itself, and doing so if attacked by pirates? Seems like it should be legal.