What is the main message of Sea Power?

The main message of Sea Power is the importance of maritime forces for global security and prosperity.

Who is the author of Sea Power?

The author of Sea Power is James Stavridis.

History

Sea Power Book Summary - Sea Power Book explained in key points

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Sea Power summary

Name: Sea Power
Rating: 4.1 (53 reviews)
Author: James Stavridis

James Stavridis

The History and Geopolitics of the World’s Oceans

4.1 (53 ratings)

28 mins

Brief summary

Sea Power by James Stavridis is a comprehensive study of naval strategy throughout history. It explores the challenges facing maritime nations and the importance of sea power in international affairs. It offers valuable insights for leaders, military personnel, and anyone interested in global security.

Topics

UK Politics Global Politics Wars US History

Table of Contents

Sea Power
Summary of 12 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 12

What’s in it for me? Journey through our planet’s violent waters to see how they have shaped history.

When we look out over the ocean, it’s easy to stand in awe of the incredible power of nature. But over the course of human history, the oceans have also played a central role in political power around the world, right up until the present day.

In these blinks, you’ll learn the shapes of the seven seas and how they’ve determined the destinies of nations, from the first explorers that ventured out into the open waters to today’s most alarming potential naval conflicts and ongoing geopolitical tensions.

You’ll also discover

how much of the Pacific Ocean the famous Captain Cook charted in the late 1700s;
how melting Arctic permafrost results in new naval routes opening up; and
why overfishing and industrial dumping are urgent crises that we must tackle now.

Adventurous explorers and brilliant deals set the stage for exploring the Pacific Ocean.

When it comes to sheer size, the Pacific Ocean reigns supreme. Believe it or not, you could combine every landmass on the planet, and it would still be smaller than the Pacific’s 64 million square miles of surface area.

The Pacific is so vast that it wasn’t until the 1500s that explorers began to fully discover the secrets that lay beyond the western shores of the Americas.

The intrepid Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan would be the first European to reach the distant Pacific islands of Guam, the Philippines and Cebu. This last destination was where Magellan was killed by locals after making the mistake of getting involved in their affairs.

But perhaps the most celebrated sailor of the Pacific Ocean was James Cook. A captain in the British Royal Navy, Cook embarked on a series of voyages in the late 1700s that charted what was previously unknown, including key ports in places like Hawaii, Tahiti, Western Canada, Easter Island and parts of New Zealand.

The United States greatly increased its interest in the Pacific following the gold rush in the mid-1800s. During this time, people from all over the country flocked to gold-rich hills of the US west coast, just as coal-powered ships were being introduced.

These boats required coaling stations for long trips across the Pacific, which is exactly what Hawaii became when it was annexed by the United States in 1898. To this day, the Hawaiian islands continue to serve as a reliable gateway for the United States in the Pacific.

A far more questionable land deal was made by the United States in 1867 when Secretary of State William Seward orchestrated the purchase of Alaska from Russia. Unlike Hawaii, this land was in a much chillier part of the North Pacific Ocean, and many vocal critics believed Seward had wasted money on a useless chunk of frozen tundra.

They may have called it “Seward’s Folly” at the time, but as we’ll see, Alaska came to play a key role in the US economy further down the road.

The Pacific Ocean was a battlefield in World War II, and it’s currently home to a dangerous arms race.

For many Americans, what happened at Pearl Harbor in the final days of 1941 still stands as a singular event. It was a devastating surprise attack on a US military base, unlike any that has happened before or since, and it made World War II something the United States could no longer ignore.

The United States would go on to spend years fighting Japanese forces in the Pacific, a massive oceanic battlefield that spanned a distance equivalent to that of the English Channel to the Persian Gulf.

The Vikings were the first Atlantic explorers, while the Portuguese greatly expanded the charted seas.

Covering 40 million square miles, the Atlantic Ocean is second only to the Pacific in terms of size. The Atlantic accounts for 20 percent of the world’s surface area, and that’s without including its two significant tributary seas, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean.

The Greeks were likely the first to voyage into the unknown open waters of the Atlantic, but as far as recorded history goes, the Vikings were the first Europeans to venture out and catch sight of the new world.

Great Britain has an unrivaled record of naval supremacy in the Atlantic.

In the 1500s, King Henry VIII pushed for England to become a major player in the seafaring world, and the country never looked back, proving time and again that it was home to the world’s best naval force.

Henry ordered heavily armed warships to be built just in time to challenge Spain for European supremacy.

The Indian Ocean has always been a valuable trade route, and today it is also an area of great resources.

Since the days of ancient Greece, the Indian Ocean has been a venue to trade spices, textiles, livestock and just about anything else that could fit on a boat. For centuries, Arabs, Persians and Chinese all used these waters to trade peacefully among themselves.

In the late 1400s, the Portuguese became the dominant traders in the Indian Ocean, but they were surpassed in the 1600s by the highly competitive British East India Company and Dutch East India Company.

Today the Indian Ocean is home to dangerous tensions, and the United States should respond with careful diplomacy.

There are many reasons for the continued tensions in the areas surrounding the Indian Ocean, not the least of which is religion.

While more than 90 percent of the world’s Muslim population resides near this ocean, the countries are divided by being either Sunni or Shi’a Muslims – or in the case of the Iraq, both.

The Mediterranean was the birthplace of strategic sea battles and a stronghold of the Ottomans.

The Mediterranean might seem like a relatively small body of water on your world map, but if you measure it from east to west, it’s as wide as the entire United States.

The Mediterranean starts as you leave the Atlantic and pass through the narrow Strait of Gibraltar, which separates Spain and Morocco. Two of its most prominent features are the boot of Italy, which juts down in the middle of the sea, and the Greek peninsula, which divides its eastern portion.

Hopes for continued peace in the Mediterranean Sea are under threat from Russia and ISIS.

To the northeast of the Mediterranean is the Black Sea, a place that has proven to be a hotbed of aggressive activity.

After World War II, things were relatively peaceful. But in the 1990s, as Yugoslavia started to splinter and break apart, the Balkan Wars began.

The Caribbean has a colorful and troubled history, and the United States should take a more humanitarian approach to the region.

The Caribbean will always be known as the home of sixteenth-century pirates, many of whom started out as Protestant raiders looking to steal from the Catholic Spanish royalty.

Sir Francis Drake is perhaps the most famous of these Caribbean pirates, having died a rich man after stealing his fair share of Spanish treasures.

The Arctic Ocean holds great promise, as long as the United States invests in this area properly.

Global warming is very much a reality, and if you need tangible evidence, the unprecedented melting of the Arctic should be exhibit number one.

For every degree that Earth’s overall temperature increases, the temperature at the North Pole rises by five degrees. And while this situation has its dangers, it also comes with opportunity.

Piracy, pollution and environmental concerns can’t be ignored.

Today, there are between 50,000 to 60,000 commercial ships moving through the oceans, along with around 5,000 military ships.

This is four to six times more ships than just 30 years ago. And while we’ve made many impressive advances, especially in terms of navigation and mapping, we’ve done remarkably little to reduce criminal activity and environmental damage caused by shipping.

Many factors determine a nation’s power on the seas, and there are steps the United States can take to remain a major player.

One of the determining factors of a nation’s naval power is its geography; you won’t get far as a seafaring nation unless you have a good amount of coastline and easy access to open waters.

If that’s the case, the nation must then make sure its policies and politics are aligned with the many ways the sea can bring prosperity. This means having beneficial trade policies and foreign relations, while also putting enough money aside to build great ships and have well-trained crews.

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What is Sea Power about?

Sea Power (2017) provides an enlightening look at the role Earth’s oceans have played over the course of human history. From early voyagers who sailed into the vast unknown, to the tens of thousands of commercial ships now traversing the globe on a daily basis, our oceans have always been a powerful force that we’ve longed to tame and control. While we’ve come a long way, we still find ourselves faced with immense challenges that we’ll only overcome by working together.

Sea Power Review

Sea Power (2017) by James Stavridis is an enlightening exploration of the role of the sea in global affairs. Here's why this book is worth reading:

With its comprehensive analysis of naval warfare, it offers a deep understanding of the dynamic and evolving nature of maritime power.
Through a combination of historical examples and contemporary case studies, the book demonstrates the critical importance of the sea in shaping geopolitics.
Its fascinating insights into the future of naval power make it an engaging read for anyone interested in international relations and military strategy.

Best quote from Sea Power

Almost 3,000 Allied ships and more than 20 million tons of shipping were destroyed by German U-boats.

—James Stavridis

Who should read Sea Power?

History buffs
News junkies worried about the future
Readers interested in politics and global affairs

About the Author

Admiral James Stavridis, USN (Ret.), spent close to four decades as an active member of the US Navy, where he served as commander of combat-ready destroyers and carriers. Before retiring, he was decorated as a four-star admiral with the rare honor of being the Supreme Allied Commander for Global Operations at NATO. He has since become dean of Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

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