Comparing two ears of pirates

My topic for the research paper involves comparing and contrasting two forms of piracy: Pirates from the Golden Age and modern day pirates. I chose this topic because I wanted to discover the true differences between the differences between the pirates that we are all familiar with from the Golden Age versus a group of pirates that most people know little about, modern pirates. I found it incredibly interesting to learn how modern these pirates really are. They utilize AK47s and have access to GPS tracking devices onboard their speedboats. This contrasts starkly with the image of old-school pirates with flintlock pistols and parrots on their shoulder. I also found it very interesting how both groups of pirates presided in completely different regions of the world. The pirates from the Golden Age mainly wrecked havoc in the Caribbean and the west coast of Africa because of the thriving trade network called the Triangular Trade. However, modern day pirates are most prominent on the East coast of Africa in countries like Somalia but in recent years there has been a shift in piracy towards southeast Asia in particular Indonesia. If I could do this research over again I would maybe focus on a couple more historical pirate attacks and analyze them specifically to provide anecdotal accounts of the two groups of pirates. Overall, this research project was incredibly eye-opening as I never realized how different two groups of pirates separated by only a couple hundred years could be.

an example of modern day piracy from:http://drakalogia.wikispaces.com/file/view/ma123rauders.jpg/331781234/349x189/ma123rauders.jpg