> There's a big, important difference between piracy and trade Not really. What the British called "free trade" seemed pretty much like piracy to the Egyptians

> There's a big, important difference between piracy and trade Not really. What the British called "free trade" seemed pretty much like piracy to the Egyptians, the Indians and the Chinese they imposed it on. And lest you think trade has become more civilized since the nineteenth century: I'm sure farmers in Jamaica are none too fond of having their livelyhood destroyed because their country imports cheap European dairy in the name of free trade. Which is just one example out of many. Heck, even free trade loving Americans complain about their country getting swamped with cheap Chinese products. As with most things, it's complicated.