Ottoman Algeria in Western Diplomatic History with ... - Bibliothèque

corsairing from within the context of traditional European policies that found
prolongation in foreign policy principles of America’s rising New Diplomacy.
The purpose is to reassess the ‘pirate state’ myth which the westerners created
and exploited towards the fulfillment of an ideology involving a complex set of
religious, economic, and political agendas.
B. IMPORTANCE
America was under attack: American citizens were innocent victims of
piracy and were held hostage for ransom abroad; the American government
blackmailed; its overseas businesses jeopardized, and even its flag insulted by
‘state-sponsored terrorists’ with ‘turbans around their heads’ who, in American
opinion, envied America’s freedom and extorted its money. Although familiar
as might seem, this hullabaloo took place not at the beginning of the 21 st
century but at the end of the 18 th century and refers to United States’ relations
with the Muslim states of North Africa—commonly referred to by westerners
as the ‘Barbary States’. In 18 th century-terminology, this phraseology simply
meant that American ships were captured by Muslim corsairs and their crews
were taken prisoners of war and enslaved while waiting for ransom or
exchange; commerce in the Mediterranean was subjected to peace treaties
which strictly defined trading privileges and charges attached to them;
maritime circulation was regulated by passports; and consular presents were
required according to custom. Incidentally, the Americans know how to turn a
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