...ican hegemony into their neighborhood. The stakes are high, and no one knows whether such an ambitious plan will ever be fully carried out. However, the prospect of a massive and wealthy union straddling the world’s biggest ocean is exciting. It is equally exciting to see the global economic stall used as a catalyst not for protectionism and xenophobia, but for deeper integration and globalization. The reforms and transformations which are conc...
...w world. However, currently, the world’s geostrategic center is shifting northward, and few of us are paying attention. Due to global warming, a new metaphorical Mediterranean Sea is currently forming to the north. The Arctic Ocean is relentlessly opening its waters to humans, at an even faster pace than was initially forecast by the global scientific community, according to a groundbreaking study by Columbia University. Unlike the Mediterranean,...
...and the Asia-Pacific region. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is openly developing a strategy to counter US naval hegemony and the means to carry it out. One of the largest threats facing the US Navy in the Western Pacific is that of sea mines. Although mines have long posed a threat to the operations of US naval forces, the potential threat from all types of sea mines is still growing rapidly. Currently, more than fifty nations across...
...intentions public. According to the document, “Russian objectives in Antarctica for 2014-2020 [are to] strengthen the economic capacity of Russia through the use of marine biological resources available in the Southern Ocean, and complex investigations of the Antarctic mineral, hydrocarbon and other natural resources, [and] enhance the international prestige of the Russian Federation through large-scale political, social, scientific and en...
...lands. Measured by their power, these nuclear tests amounted to 1.6 Hiroshimas per day over that period – a fact little known to the world community. The Marshall Islands is part of the Micronesian island chain in the Pacific Ocean extending from Hawaii to the Philippines, and consists of 34 volcanic islands that are home to a population of around 70,000 people. The country, strategically located just south of Japan, played an important role in W...
After centuries of humiliation, domination, and colonization by the West, nearly three billion residents in the Pacific region are rising to claim what is rightfully theirs: economic prosperity, diplomatic influence, and national pride. Yet this newfound power breeds new challenges for the United States policy in Asia. The greatest headaches for US policymakers arise, of course, from the People’s Republic of China’ new aim to radically alter th...
...all geoengineering. Many ideas for engineering the earth’s climate have arisen in recent years. Some have promise, while many others seem rather outlandish. Some scientists have advocated “seeding” parts of the surface of the ocean with iron, so that photosynthetic phytoplankton will metabolize more carbon, fixing it into their shells as calcium carbonate. The theory goes that with the increased iron, carbon uptake from the atmosphere will increa...
...rozen backwater into a global hot issue.” Indeed, with the Arctic’s melting, regional states have had to adapt to the changing terrain – how to foresee, prevent and channel the new uncertainties and threats resulting from the ocean’s melting. In order to avoid being caught off-guard, they quickly poured millions of dollars into state-of-the-art research programs aimed at rethinking economics, diplomatic strategies, and security effects at the nat...
...en disparate groups are often forged, re: coalition of the Kennedys with local Native American groups, united against the government. Recently, a hyper-controversial highway that would connect La Paz, Bolivia with the Pacific Ocean by cutting through the Isiboro Sécure National Park and Indigenous Territory was defeated after indigenous groups and opposing politicians marched on the Presidential Palace, forcing President Evo Morales into the awkw...
In recent months, there has been much talk of the United States’ “strategic pivot” toward East Asia and the Pacific. With the expansion of our military presence in the region and the withdrawal of troops from our now unnecessary bases in Europe, the United States is positioning itself to be ready for the problems of the 21st century: i.e. possible Chinese encroachment in Southeast Asia or a potential conflict between China and India. Most analys...
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