The Pirates of Somalia
Inside Their Hidden World
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Narrated by:
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Sunil Malhotra
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By:
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Jay Bahadur
About this listen
Somalia, on the tip of the Horn of Africa, has been inhabited as far back as 9,000 B.C. Its history is as rich as the country is old. Caught up in a decades-long civil war, Somalia, along with Iraq and Afghanistan, has become one of the most dangerous countries in the world. Getting there from North America is a 45-hour, five-flight voyage through Frankfurt, Dubai, Djibouti, Bosaso (on the Gulf of Aden), and, finally, Galkayo. Somalia is a place where a government has been built out of anarchy.
For centuries, stories of pirates have captured imaginations around the world. The recent bands of daring, ragtag pirates off the coast of Somalia, hijacking multimillion-dollar tankers owned by international shipping conglomerates, have brought the scourge of piracy into the modern era.
The capture of the American-crewed cargo ship Maersk Alabama in April 2009, the first United States ship to be hijacked in almost two centuries, catapulted the Somali pirates onto prime-time news. Then, with the horrific killing by Somali pirates of four Americans, two of whom had built their dream yacht and were sailing around the world (“And now on to: Angkor Wat! And Burma!” they had written to friends), the United States Navy, Special Operation Forces, FBI, Justice Department, and the world’s military forces were put on notice: the Somali seas were now the most perilous in the world.
Jay Bahadur, a journalist who dared to make his way into the remote pirate havens of Africa’s easternmost country and spend months infiltrating their lives, gives us the first close-up look at the hidden world of the pirates of war-ravaged Somalia.
Bahadur’s riveting narrative exposé - the first ever - looks at who these men are, how they live, the forces that created piracy in Somalia, how the pirates spend the ransom money, how they deal with their hostages. Bahadur makes sense of the complex and fraught regional politics, the history of Somalia and the self-governing region of Puntland (an autonomous region in Northeast Somalia), and the various catastrophic occurrences that have shaped their pirate destinies. The audiobook looks at how the unrecognized mini-state of Puntland is dealing with the rise - and increasing sophistication - of piracy and how, through legal and military action, other nations, international shippers, the United Nations, and various international bodies are attempting to cope with the present danger and growing pirate crisis.
A revelation of a world at the epicenter of political and natural disaster.
©2011 Jay Bahadur (P)2011 Random HouseListeners also enjoyed...
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Misha Glenny's groundbreaking study of global organized crime is now the inspiration for an eight-part AMC crime drama starring James Norton (War and Peace), Juliet Rylance, and David Strathairn. In this fearless and wholly authoritative investigation of the seemingly insatiable demand for illegal wares, veteran reporter Misha Glenny travels across five continents to speak with participants from every level of the global underworld. What follows is a groundbreaking, propulsive look at an unprecedented phenomenon from a savvy, street-wise guide.
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Worthwhile Overview
- By Roy on 05-14-10
By: Misha Glenny
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Sleeping with the Devil
- How Washington Sold Our Soul for Saudi Crude
- By: Robert Baer
- Narrated by: Robert O'Keefe
- Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins
- Abridged
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Former CIA operative Robert Baer examines the dangers behind America's collaboration with Saudi Arabia. Nominally based on a "harmony of interests" - the Saudis sold their oil to the American government very inexpensively - what we offered in exchange has damaged our position in the Middle East and left our country vulnerable to economic and terrorist threats. Baer goes behind the scenes to show how the US willingly overlooked the corruption of the Saudi royal family, its financing of violent Islamic fundamentalist groups, and its bribery of American officials.
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Ouch. The truth hurts.
- By Kevin Christy on 07-28-03
By: Robert Baer
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This Is Cuba
- An American Journalist Under Castro's Shadow
- By: David Ariosto
- Narrated by: David Ariosto
- Length: 8 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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This is Cuba is a true story that begins in the summer of 2009 when a young American photo-journalist is offered the chance of a lifetime - a two-year assignment in Havana. For David Ariosto, the island is an intriguing new world, unmoored from the one he left behind. From neighboring military coups, suspected honey traps, salty spooks, and desperate migrants to dissidents, doctors, and Havana’s empty shelves, Ariosto uncovers the island’s subtle absurdities, its Cold War mystique, and the hopes of a people in the throes of transition.
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You're really none the wiser
- By Buretto on 01-10-19
By: David Ariosto
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A Continent for the Taking
- The Tragedy and Hope of Africa
- By: Howard W. French
- Narrated by: Mirron E. Willis
- Length: 10 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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In A Continent for the Taking, Howard W. French, a veteran correspondent for The New York Times, gives a compelling firsthand account of some of Africa's most devastating recent history. While he captures the tragedies that have repeatedly befallen Africa's peoples, French also opens our eyes to the immense possibility that lies in Africa's complexity, diversity, and myriad cultural strengths.
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A story to pay your attention to
- By George on 04-30-13
By: Howard W. French
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Operation Shakespeare
- The True Story of an Elite International Sting
- By: John Shiffman
- Narrated by: David Drummond
- Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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In Operation Shakespeare, investigative journalist John Shiffman traces a high-risk undercover operation launched by an elite undercover Homeland Security unit created to stop the Iranians, Russians, Chinese, Pakistanis, and North Koreans from acquiring sophisticated American-made electronics capable of guiding missiles, jamming radar, and triggering countless weapons - from wireless IEDs to nuclear bombs.
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under our noses
- By Andy on 08-20-14
By: John Shiffman
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Harpoon
- Inside the Covert War Against Terrorism's Money Masters
- By: Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, Samuel M. Katz
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 12 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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A revelatory account of the cloak-and-dagger Israeli campaign to target the finances fueling terror organizations - an effort that became the blueprint for US efforts to combat threats like ISIS and drug cartels. ISIS boasted $2.4 billion of revenue in 2015, yet for too long the global war on terror overlooked financial warfare as an offensive strategy. "Harpoon", the creation of Mossad legend Meir Dagan, directed spies, soldiers, and attorneys to disrupt and destroy money pipelines and financial institutions that paid for the bloodshed.
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Riveting!!!
- By Treavor on 12-11-17
By: Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, and others
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Failures of Imagination
- The Deadliest Threats to Our Homeland - and How to Thwart Them
- By: Michael McCaul
- Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
- Length: 10 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Congressman and Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, Michael McCaul, has spent years in Washington watching the administration turn a blind eye to the most pressing possible threats to the country. Now, in Failures of Imagination, McCaul turns away from the over-sensationalized, unrealistic fears circulated through the media in order to expose the most legitimate and looming national security threats, which have long been swept under the rug by the administration.
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Spot on.
- By Prince Parker on 02-27-16
By: Michael McCaul
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Dancing in the Glory of Monsters
- The Collapse of the Congo and the Great War of Africa
- By: Jason Stearns
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 15 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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At the heart of Africa is Congo, a country the size of Western Europe, bordering nine other nations, that since 1996 has been wracked by a brutal and unstaunchable war in which millions have died. And yet, despite its epic proportions, it has received little sustained media attention. In this deeply reported book, Jason K. Stearns vividly tells the story of this misunderstood conflict through the experiences of those who engineered and perpetrated it.
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First book I've found that explains DRC
- By Amazon Customer on 09-09-17
By: Jason Stearns
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Destination Casablanca
- Exile, Espionage, and the Battle for North Africa in World War II
- By: Meredith Hindley
- Narrated by: Matthew Waterson
- Length: 17 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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In November 1942, as a part of Operation Torch, 33,000 American soldiers sailed undetected across the Atlantic and stormed the beaches of French Morocco. Seventy-four hours later, the Americans controlled the country and one of the most valuable wartime ports: Casablanca. In the years preceding, Casablanca had evolved from an exotic travel destination to a key military target after France's surrender to Germany. Jewish refugees from Europe poured in, hoping to obtain visas and passage to the United States and beyond.
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A city of intrigue
- By David on 11-30-17
By: Meredith Hindley
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Jackpot
- High Times, High Seas, and the Sting That Launched the War on Drugs
- By: Jason Ryan
- Narrated by: Keith Sellon-Wright
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Author Jason Ryan takes us back to the heady days before drug smuggling was synonymous with deadly gunplay. During this golden age of marijuana trafficking, the country's most prominent kingpins were a group of wayward and fun-loving Southern gentlemen who forsook college educations to sail drug-laden luxury sailboats across the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, and the Caribbean. Les Riley, Barry Foy, and their comrades eschewed violence as much as they loved pleasure, and it was greed, lust, and disaster at sea that ultimately caught up with them, along with the law.
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If You Enjoy Injustice
- By Laura on 01-14-21
By: Jason Ryan
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Civilian Warriors
- The Inside Story of Blackwater and the Unsung Heroes of the War on Terror
- By: Erik Prince
- Narrated by: Jeff Gurner
- Length: 13 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Blackwater is one of the most misunderstood companies of our time. As Erik Prince, its founder and former CEO, writes: "Hundreds of American citizens employed by private military contractors, or PMCs, would lose their lives helping our government wage wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, only to have their memory tarnished by the unfair and/or ignorant depiction of PMCs as profiteers, jackbooted thugs, or worse."
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A different look a Security Contractors
- By Ryan on 01-20-14
By: Erik Prince
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A Kingdom of Their Own
- The Family Karzai and the Afghan Disaster
- By: Joshua Partlow
- Narrated by: P. J. Ochlan
- Length: 18 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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The key to understanding the calamitous Afghan war is the complex, ultimately failed relationship between the powerful, duplicitous Karzai family and the United States, brilliantly portrayed here by the former Kabul bureau chief for The Washington Post.
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Fabulous
- By Charles S. on 10-23-23
By: Joshua Partlow
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Ninety Percent of Everything
- Inside Shipping, the Invisible Industry That Puts Clothes on Your Back, Gas in Your Car, and Food on Your Plate
- By: Rose George
- Narrated by: Pearl Hewitt
- Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Rose George, acclaimed chronicler of what we would rather ignore, sails from Rotterdam to Suez to Singapore on ships the length of football fields and the height of Niagara Falls; she patrols the Indian Ocean with an anti-piracy task force; she joins seafaring chaplains and investigates the harm that ships inflict on endangered whales. Sharply informative and entertaining, Ninety Percent of Everything reveals the workings and perils of an unseen world that holds the key to our economy, our environment, and our very civilization.
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I was quite mislead by the title.....
- By Steve on 10-20-17
By: Rose George
What listeners say about The Pirates of Somalia
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
- Nick
- 08-01-11
Solid Work
Provides an interesting and highly informative view of Somali piracy. Certainly a good buy for someone interested in current global events and/or history.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Theo Horesh
- 11-30-21
Romantic Adventure Grounded By Good Reporting
The Pirates of Somalia is at one and the same time one of the few well written popular books on Somalia and it seems just about the only on contemporary oceangoing pirating. This makes it niche material in two senses, but it also adventurous reporting from an exotic land, which will make it a pleasurable listen for people who just want something different to learn about.
Bahadur teaches listeners a good bit about life in Somalia, quite a lot about the every day struggles of people who turn to pirating, the challenges of regulating this minor global menace, and, perhaps unknowingly, the general hazards of state collapse. Collapsed states tend to generate a multitude of externalities, including terrorism, drug markets, human trafficking, desertification, extremist militias, conflicts crossing state borders, and, to add to the list, pirates.
Personally, I bought this book to learn just a little more about Somalia, but I was surprised to hear the author’s intelligent and grounded recommendations in the last ten minutes. If there was a problem with the book, it just went on a little too long. So, feel free to skip forward to the last ten minutes, which are not to be missed.
~ Theo Horesh, author of The Holocausts We All Deny
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall
- Andy
- 07-31-11
from fisherman to felons
Interesting story about the evolution of piracy in the Gulf of Aden, along with a glimpse into the life of a pirate. Great rundown on the role of khat in the life of a pirate, as well as a solid description of the pirate business model.
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7 people found this helpful
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- Marie
- 10-29-13
This is so close to the truth
What made the experience of listening to The Pirates of Somalia the most enjoyable?
My husband is a real Somalia Pirate Hunter, no I am not kidding. We bought the book in print and on Audible, it is SO true what is really going on. The sadness, the danger, the politics, the mystery and the hardships. If you have watched the movie. Captn Phillips and read this book you will know what our guys are doing to protect all these tankers!!
What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?
It is a true story, and I am LIVING it!!
What does Sunil Malhotra bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Great perfomance
If you could give The Pirates of Somalia a new subtitle, what would it be?
No, the title is just right!
Any additional comments?
Worth a credit and I would recommend for history teaching as well.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Flavius Krakdaddius
- 01-27-12
The story behind the headlines
This book is illuminating in that it dispels many of the preconceived notions the media has fed us regarding Somali piracy. Moreover, TPOS delves into some of Puntland's recent history, and some of the causes for the current spate of pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden. Readers will come away from this book knowing a great deal more not only about the current situation in Somali waters, but understand a great deal more about the pirates themselves.
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1 person found this helpful
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- William Joshua Venner
- 01-17-12
Enjoyed Pirates of Somalia
What did you love best about The Pirates of Somalia?
A complex view of Somali pirates was presented utilizing a combination of a news reports, statistics, interviews, and other research.
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- JHCork
- 01-28-18
good story good journal
good story, not great, but I learned a great deal about the pirates, in summary, thugs just trying to survive like any other criminal group
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Overall
- Susan Weldon
- 07-25-11
Disappointing
I really thought this would be an interesting subject to learn more about. It ended up being more like listening to someone read aloud from the encyclopedia. The cover is enticing, the content boring.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Terryl Pettengill
- 11-13-11
A Report, Not a Story, But Landlocked
Not so much about piracy on the high seas as pirates hanging around on land. Lacks context or much in the way piratic action.
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2 people found this helpful