It had been argued that the growing information economy — specifically the increase in financial transactions as a key element in international commerce — has reduced the importance of the Ocean Commons. No longer does value travel in shipping so much as it travels across wires. Or so the argument goes. But the counterargument is illustrated by this link sent by a reader showing a map of undersea communications cabling throughout the world. A glance shows how dependent the information economy is on the existence, maintenance and repair of undersea cables. While networks can be conceived in the abstract, they exist in the physical. Mahan of course, believed that the oceans ruled the destiny of the earth. In his view, whoever controlled the seaborne highways of commerce ruled the roost. One reason why the predominant naval power should care about defending the freedom of the seas is that it is in the maritime power’s interest to keep the oceans at the center of civilization. |
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