Barbary Entanglements
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A01=John M. Chamberlin
Algerian
Algiers
Atlantic World
Author_John M. Chamberlin
Barbary System
Barbary Wars
bey
blockade
captivity narrative
Category=NHK
Category=NHTV
coalition
constitution
consular service
corsair
corsairing
dey
diplomacy
Early Republic
Edward Preble
eq_bestseller
eq_history
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_new_release
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
First Barbary War
French Revolutionary Wars
gunboat
James Cathcart
James Madison
jihad
Joel Barlow
John Adams
law of nations
law of the sea
Marine Corps
Mediterranean
Morocco
Napoleanic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
negotiation
Peace Commissioners
piracy
pirates
privateering
privateers
Quasi-War
ransom
ransom slavery
Richard Dale
Richard O'Brien
Second Barbary War
shores of Tripoli
six frigates
sovereignty
Stephan Decatur
Thomas Jefferson
transnational
treaty-worthy
tribute
Tripolitan War
Tunis
US Navy
USS Philadelphia
Vattel
War of 1812
Westphalian system
William Eaton
Product details
- ISBN 9780813954103
- Weight: 364g
- Dimensions: 152 x 229mm
- Publication Date: 01 Dec 2025
- Publisher: University of Virginia Press
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Paperback
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How the United States' confrontation with North African raiders established its legitimacy on the world stage
For the fledgling United States of America, the first major foray onto the international stage came off the North African coast in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. When Barbary corsairs preyed on American merchant ships, their young government and new navy were compelled to step in. Barbary Entanglements shows how interactions with the 'Barbary states' - the independent empire of Morocco and the semi-autonomous Ottoman regencies of Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli - over the issue of privateering transcended economic grievances and allowed American consuls and servicemen to demonstrate the viability and reliability of their new nation within the European diplomatic system. More than simply protecting trade, US intervention against Barbary corsairs between 1784 and 1825 aimed to establish American sovereignty and demonstrate treaty-worthiness to their European 'sister nations.'
In this deeply researched and insightful study, John Chamberlin not only offers a granular account of how the 'Barbary system' of corsairing and ransom-slavery worked over four decades. He also highlights nascent federal authorities' coordinating diplomatic efforts with lesser European powers such as Sweden and Denmark to gain legitimacy, and he makes unprecedented use of Arabic language sources to reframe what we know about the development of early American foreign policy. In the process, he offers a dramatic retelling of how the United States first announced itself as a force to be reckoned with on the international scene.
For the fledgling United States of America, the first major foray onto the international stage came off the North African coast in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. When Barbary corsairs preyed on American merchant ships, their young government and new navy were compelled to step in. Barbary Entanglements shows how interactions with the 'Barbary states' - the independent empire of Morocco and the semi-autonomous Ottoman regencies of Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli - over the issue of privateering transcended economic grievances and allowed American consuls and servicemen to demonstrate the viability and reliability of their new nation within the European diplomatic system. More than simply protecting trade, US intervention against Barbary corsairs between 1784 and 1825 aimed to establish American sovereignty and demonstrate treaty-worthiness to their European 'sister nations.'
In this deeply researched and insightful study, John Chamberlin not only offers a granular account of how the 'Barbary system' of corsairing and ransom-slavery worked over four decades. He also highlights nascent federal authorities' coordinating diplomatic efforts with lesser European powers such as Sweden and Denmark to gain legitimacy, and he makes unprecedented use of Arabic language sources to reframe what we know about the development of early American foreign policy. In the process, he offers a dramatic retelling of how the United States first announced itself as a force to be reckoned with on the international scene.
John 'Garick' Chamberlin is Professor of Security Studies at the Air Command and Staff College of Air University.
