Pirate ships are sort of interesting in that they were radically democratic compared to the strict hierarchy and brutal discipline that was emblematic of naval culture of the time.
If you think of each pirate ship as a separate democratic state, then the scenario shared between pirate ships and traditional states is the international relations concept known as anarchy (not to be confused with the meaning of "anarchy" we usually use around here, whoo boy are they different).
Pirate ships are sort of interesting in that they were radically democratic compared to the strict hierarchy and brutal discipline that was emblematic of naval culture of the time.
If you think of each pirate ship as a separate democratic state, then the scenario shared between pirate ships and traditional states is the international relations concept known as anarchy (not to be confused with the meaning of "anarchy" we usually use around here, whoo boy are they different).