Principles of Maritime Power

This concise but exhaustive treatment of sea powers examines the strengths and weaknesses of maritime power, including chapters on mutiny, blockades, coalitions, expeditionary warfare, piracy, commerce raiding, and soft power operations. Throughout, Elleman analyzes the competition between land power and sea power strategies.

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Maritime powers dominate the planet, from the British empire of the 19th century, to the American post-World War II domination of global affairs. To a large degree their control of the globe is based on control of the seas. This book seeks to examine the strengths and weaknesses of maritime power, including specific chapters on mutiny, blockades, coalitions, expeditionary warfare, piracy, commerce raiding, and soft power operations, but with larger discussion of such sea power characteristics as sea control, sea denial, and the competition between land powers and sea powers. The conclusions will discuss how many other countries, including Russia during the Cold War and the PRC today, have or are seeking to use sea power to claim regional and then eventually global hegemony.