Great power competition in the Southern oceans : from the Indo-Pacific to the South Atlantic /: from the Indo-Pacific to the South Atlantic. (2023)

• Record Type: Book
• Further Information: Note: Ariel González Levaggi.
• Authors: González Levaggi, Ariel
• Contents: Introduction Chapter 1– Between global (dis)order and strategic competition: the struggle formaritime supremacy 1.1.Between realists and liberals: two traditions of international order 1.2.Strategic competition between great powers: the place of the sea Thissection presents two approaches to the international order, while opting for arealist interpretation in which security-related factors condition the degreeof international cooperation in a world characterized by both uncertainty andinterdependence. It then analyzes the distinctive character of the currentinternational order, the strategic competition in a multipolar world, the placeof the sea in the great powers competition era, in addition to analyzing the roleof the great powers. Chapter 2– Between threats and capabilities: choosing a Maritime Strategy GrandStrategy and its expression in the maritime sphere are key to understanding howgreat and regional powers respond to the perception of external threats. Thenotion of strategy can be approached in multiple ways although it traditionallyrefers to a series of elements that seek to achieve a certain end with alimited number of means. This chapter presents the main conceptual notionsguiding the essay: grand strategy, the question of threats, capabilties and thechoice of a maritime strategy. Section II- Naval Competition in the Oceans of the Global South Chapter 3- United States: naval hegemony faces the Eurasian challenge 3.1. The city on the hill:domestic and international bases of U.S. hegemony 3.2. Rise and fall of liberalhegemony: common values, global commitments and democracy promotion. 3.3. The world accordingto the Pentagon 3.4. The challenge of thecentury: sustaining the edge in maritime dominance The UnitedStates remains at the top of the global hierarchy given the superlative weightof its economy, the capacity for technological innovation that has driven thelatest productive revolution and its extensive military capabilities. However, in recent years its hegemony and leadership have been progressively questionedfor different reasons. From the failure of the invasion of Iraq in 2003 to theabrupt withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, as well as the ups and downs inrelations with China, Russia, Iran and the Latin American region itself, havegiven rise to questions about the stability and predictability of Washington'sinternational strategy. In any case, despite different implementation modalities, there is a common logic throughout the different White House administrations:the maintenance of global supremacy. This chapter presents the main elementsthat make up this US grand strategy and then analyzes how it is expressed inthe maritime dimension. Chapter 4- People's Republic of China: the great dream of a maritime power 4.1.'Democratic Centralism': the Chinese Communist Party in the age ofglobalization 4.2. GrandStrategy in the Xi Jinping era: from Pacific Development to the Chinese Dreamof the Great Rejuvenation 4.3 ThePeople's Liberation Army and Active Defense: defensive strategy, offensivetactics 4.4. The'Blue' Dream: developing capabilities for a 'Distant Water' Navy. China'srise over the last three decades has generated a series of global discussions, among which the nature and effects of its political regime, the decision-makingprocess within the party-state-armed forces triad, its development strategy andthe impact of its opening up to economic globalization and, finally, theconsequences of its global emergence for the international system stand out.Although these topics are the subject of extensive discussion, in this sectionwe will point out the main elements that will allow us to introduce thepolitical, economic and international specificity of Beijing. This chapterpresents the main elements that make up China's grand strategy at both theregional and global levels and then analyzes its reflection in the military andmaritime spheres. Chapter 5- Russian Federation: between military reform and naval modernization 5.1.Putin's Grand Strategy in the new era of competition and uncertainty 5.2.Military strategy: hybrid conflicts and regional priorities 5.3. RussianNavy: between the coast and the seas SinceVladimir Putin's rise to power, Russia has combined the centralisation ofexecutive authority with economic stabilisation based on the energy sector, allowing it to lay the foundations for a return to the forefront of theinternational stage both in terms of its diplomatic role and its renewed questfor regional hegemony in the post-Soviet space and the maintenance of itsinfluence and status as a global power. Until 2014, Russia had a largelypragmatic strategy, although it has progressively taken a series of offensiveattitudes that ended in the military invasion of Ukraine. The strategy isunderpinned by a tripod of objectives - preservation of global power status, primacy in the post-Soviet space and deterrence of NATO expansion - which areimplemented through the use of a wide range of tools, including militarycoercion. Despite being considered an eminently land-based power, Russia'smaritime phase is key to considering its role as a great power. This chapteranalyses the main sources of Russian 'grand strategy' and its expressions inthe military and maritime realm. Chapter 6- India: a democratic power with maritime aspirations 6.1. NewDelhi in the world: international strategy in a complex environment 6.2.Multiple threats, military responses: India's Military strategy 6.3.India's maritime strategy: regional priorities, global issues Over thepast two decades, India has enjoyed vibrant economic growth, while the dynamismof its global presence and the strength of its democratic institutions haveenhanced the country's international prestige and status. By 1991, the thenPrime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao implemented a series of economic reforms thatled to the "Indian miracle" that will develop in parallel with thecontinuation of a powerful nuclear and missile arsenal. Despite its superlativeweight in South Asia, the complex regional scenario in both its continental -due to the ongoing conflict with Pakistan - and maritime dimensions - in theface of the advancing Indian projection of the People's Republic of China -presents a number of challenges for India's leadership in both the Indian Oceanand the Indo-Pacific region. In this context, India has sought to strengthenits maritime presence and play a greater role in maritime spaces by developinga proactive maritime strategy. This chapter explores the main elements ofIndia's international strategy and then develops a sketch of its military andmaritime dimensions at both the regional and global levels. SectionIII - Naval Competition in the Oceans of the Global South Chapter 7- Indo-Pacific: clash of the titans 7.1. Amultipolar scenario: a crossroads of narratives and geopolitical stakes 7.2.Critical instability: from Taiwan to the Gulf of Aden 7.3. Newwine in old wineskins: institutions, alliances, and regional challenges Untilrecently, the idea of the Indo-Pacific was almost unknown, even to those whospecialize in international affairs. From a strictly geographical point ofview, this mega-region involves a subset of areas of great geopoliticalimportance within a mega-region. In its western portion, regional maritimepowers such as India, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Iran are engaged both inregional competition and in a complex game of matryoshkas where strategies ofextra-regional global powers such as the United States and China coexist withnon-traditional threats and non-state actors. In the Eastern space, China'srise as the leading regional and maritime power has not only changed thestrategic calculus of neighboring countries, but has also raised concerns aboutits maritime security aspirations in the Indian Ocean due to explicit actionsto protect sea lines of communications and the transit of goods and supplies toand from China. This chapter analyze the complex game focusing in the clash ofnarratives and geopolitical interests, assessing the main regional hot spotsand evaluating regional and global initiatives in the maritime realm. Chapter 8- The South Atlantic and the global strategic competition 8.1. SouthAtlantic: the peaceful sea 8.2.Sustained presence: United States 8.3.Increasing projection: China 8.4.Selective projection: Russian Federation 8.5.Limited projection: India Until themid 1970s, the South Atlantic was a relatively stable space beyond Argentina'spermanent sovereignty claim over the Malvinas/Falkland, Georgias and SouthSandwich Islands, partially disconnected from the main global geostrategicdynamics and characterized by a low degree of interaction both in economic andcommercial terms. However, the decolonization process in Lusophone Africa andthe Malvinas/Falkland War changed the profile and forced Western powers to paygreater attention to a strategically neglected space. The end of the Cold Wareased the perception of systemic threat, while negotiations for thenormalization of bilateral relations between Argentina and the United Kingdomfacilitated the return to a certain stability. However, the lack of resolutionof the sovereignty dispute over the Malvinas Islands, the new role of China andRussia, and the growing presence of extra-regional powers in the Antarcticpresent a series of worrying challenges for the future South Atlantic. Thischapter evaluates the presence of the United States in the region, in additionto the projection of Eurasian naval powers which presents a major challenge toregional stability.Conclusions.
• Publisher Details: Basingstoke : Palgrave Macmillan
• Publication Date: 2023
• Extent: 1 online resource (224 pages), illustrations (black and white)
• Subjects: 359.03091724; Sea-power -- Developing countries; Developing countries -- Strategic aspects
• Languages: English
• ISBNs: 9783031364761
• Notes: Note: Description based on CIP data; resource not viewed.
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