Maritime piracy has long-standing history throughout the world and, while tactics have changed, the basic criminal act and motives behind it have remained the same over time. Modem maritime pirate organizations 11tC composed primarily of members of clans and tribes that operate as decentralized organizations and exhibit characteristics of complex adaptive systems. Understanding the behavior of these organizations will aid in the fight against maritime piracy. Connecting the behaviors of pirate organizations to complexity theory, or more specifically, complex adaptive systems, allows for the development of new approaches to com batting the problem of maritime piracy.