PIRATE STATE: Inside Somalia's Terrorism at Sea

Are the Somali pirates a legion of desperate fishermen attacking cargo ships and ocean cruisers to reclaim their waters? Or is piracy connected to crime networks and the madness that grips Somalia? What threats do pirates pose to international security? To answer these questions, Peter Eichstaedt crisscrossed East Africa, meeting with pirates both in and out of prisons, talking with them about their lives, tactics, and motives.

PIRATE STATE explores the links between the pirates, global financiers, and extremists who control southern Somalia and whose influence extends across the Gulf of Aden into Yemen and connects to extremists in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Somali pirates continue to be desperate and dangerous men who will do just about anything for money. PIRATE STATE argues that turning a blind eye to piracy and the problems of Somalia is inviting a disaster of horrific proportions.

“[A] compelling book . . . [Eichstaedt's] evenhanded polished style, and impressive documentation let the horrors and ramifications of piracy speak for themselves.”
—Publishers Weekly

Peter Eichstaedt is an award-winning author and veteran journalist who has reported from locations worldwide, including Afghanistan, Albania, Somalia, the Sudans, Uganda, Kenya, eastern DR Congo, Eastern Europe, and the Caucasus. His book The Dangerous Divide: Peril and Promise on the US-Mexico Border won the 2015 International Latino Book Award for best in current affairs. He also is the author of Above the Din of War, Consuming the Congo, First Kill Your Family, winner of the 2009 Colorado Book Award; and If You Poison Us.