This paper reflects research completed on contemporary cases of maritime piracy in Asia. The researcher traveled to Asia on a grant distributed by the University of California, Office of the President. The scope of piracy was explored. This dissertation was intended to determine who all of the players in piracy are, how they are involved and how piracy is being perpetrated with such force and volume today. The piracy rates have climbed dramatically in the last decade of the twentieth century. The research conducted was focused on finding the most plausible explanation as to why piracy has resurged and why it has become so commonplace after its relative disappearance for more than a century. Research was conducted by interviewing individuals who represent cargo shipping companies, law enforcement officials and regulators who are responsible for the investigation of cargo crime, insurers of maritime cargoes, and ship owners. Qualitative techniques, such as archival record examination, were used to verify claims made by the participants. The evidence of the research indicates that organized crime syndicates throughout the world have seized upon piracy as a method of attaining large sums of currency, controlling commodity transfer (thus ensuring global power), and maintaining corruptive relations with weak or ambivalent states. The explicit and implicit roles of governmental actors, which are key to many organized crime endeavors, are explored as possible causes of failed resolutions and diminished deterrence.
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