Free Republic

The British Empire and other major European powers did not significantly enrich themselves through slavery and colonialism but rather may have taken a net loss as a result, a report has asserted. Contrary to narratives pushed by ‘anti-colonialism’ academics and promoted by leftist talking heads, Western capitalism was not built off the backs of colonialism and slavery, fresh research from Kristian Niemietz of the Institute of Economic Affairs claims. The head of Political Economy at the IEA argues that while some select elite families within Britain and other colonial powers profited immensely during the time, such gains were not felt...

Is it actually possible that, as you read this, the United States Navy has only one supercarrier battle group at sea? Read on - and be amazed. Look no farther than these two news items, both from today's Sunday Times of London, to see the effect of two decades of shrinkage in the size of the United States Navy and the retreat of the Royal Navy from the high seas: • For the first time in two centuries, British businessmen and others have formed a private navy to protect shipping off the pirate-ridden coast of Somali on the Horn of...

I asked Joshua London to describe for Worldmagblog readers his new book, Victory in Tripoli. He wrote that it “tells the story of America’s first interaction with the Muslim world over 200 years ago, under Presidents George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison. Not surprisingly, this is also the story of America’s first experience with Jihad (in the guise of Muslim piracy against Christians). This conflict, America’s first war on terror, gave birth to the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and essentially plunged the young United States headlong into the convoluted world of Old World mercantilist geopolitics,...

First, lets answer the question; they talk the same (Arrr Matey!), so how can ye tell the difference between a Pirate and a Privateer? From this here website: “Privateering was legal, and in its time generally respected, and often admired. Privateers operated only in wartime and only against enemy shipping. They were, in many ways, in the same business as the navy, which likewise paid its sailors and officers from the proceeds of captured ships. Pirates were stateless criminals who attacked anyone’s ships in peace or war, following their own unique customs and rules which bore no resemblance to elaborately...