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The association of the two words “looting” and “piracy” is borne out by two common features: the weakness of the state and an intolerable aggravation of poverty which leads human groups to violence. In this issue, it is not the metaphorical meaning that is intended, but the classical meaning: looting is an act of war of massive theft and destruction; piracy stands for every illicit and violent act or detention committed by the crew of a private boat for private objectives against another boat on the open sea. That is why grasping the geographical background of each of these geopolitical situations is essential to understanding them.