State stability as the foundation of counter-piracy

What historical lesson offers a modern solution to piracy?

Stabilize the state ashore so a capable government can suppress piracy and avoid provoking other states by tolerating it.

The changing fortunes of Nationalist and Communist governments in China illustrate the link between political control ashore and security at sea. Piracy declined when an organized government could impose authority, then worsened when the Nationalists and Communists fought for control. The Communist victory restored enough central power to suppress the problem once more, regardless of British political preferences. An organized state has both the capacity and incentive to restrain pirates. A government that promotes or tolerates maritime raiding risks painful retaliation from trading powers that regard it as a refusal to follow interstate rules. The modern lesson is to establish legitimate political authority ashore instead of expecting warships alone to remove piracy.