Exploring Panama taught me the difference between my childhood dreams of being a pirate and the reality of being on the other end of piracy. Many of the original Spanish cities were attacked or sacked by state-sanctioned pirates, mostly from the UK.
Since making this video, I have been reading our book of the month, The End of the World is Just Beginning, which has given me additional context on the subject of piracy and the Panama Canal.
Piracy was the norm in the pre-modern era, in which no navy had the power to fully protect its own commercial trade ships from foreign privateers who were often commissioned by the crown to attack their enemies. The open sea was a dangerous place that ships had to cross quickly, often armed to protect themselves.
By contrast, the Panama Canal represents the beginning of the American-led global order that took full form after WWII, in which the safety of the world’s shipping routes was guaranteed by the American Navy.
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