
Sea Power
The History and Geopolitics of the World's Oceans
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Narrated by:
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Marc Cashman
About this listen
From one of the most admired admirals of his generation - and the only admiral to serve as supreme allied commander at NATO - comes a remarkable voyage through all of the world's most important bodies of water, providing the story of naval power as a driver of human history and a crucial element in our current geopolitical path.
From the time of the Greeks and the Persians clashing in the Mediterranean, sea power has determined world power. To an extent that is often underappreciated, it still does. No one understands this better than Admiral Jim Stavridis. In Sea Power, Admiral Stavridis takes us with him on a tour of the world's oceans from the admiral's chair, showing us how the geography of the oceans has shaped the destinies of nations and how naval power has in a real sense made the world we live in today and will shape the world we live in tomorrow.
Not least, Sea Power is marvelous naval history, giving us fresh insight into great naval engagements from the battles of Salamis and Lepanto through to Trafalgar, the Battle of the Atlantic, and submarine conflicts of the Cold War. It is also a keen-eyed reckoning with the likely sites of our next major naval conflicts, particularly the Arctic Ocean, the Eastern Mediterranean, and the South China Sea. Finally, Sea Power steps back to take a holistic view of the plagues to our oceans that are best seen that way, from piracy to pollution.
When most of us look at a globe, we focus on the shape of the seven continents. Admiral Stavridis sees the shapes of the seven seas. After listening to Sea Power, you will, too. Not since Alfred Thayer Mahan's legendary The Influence of Sea Power upon History have we had such a powerful reckoning with this vital subject.
©2017 James Stavridis (P)2017 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"No one understands the importance of the oceans and their impact on today's security better than Admiral Jim Stavridis. He is a leader and a sailor who stands out in every way. This is a must-read book.” (Senator John McCain)
“Stavridis, a retired US Navy admiral, summons the collected knowledge of his extensive career as an operational commander to provide insight into navies’ routine functioning… It’s a stimulating and provocative work…a timely reminder that oceans may seemed tamed - but that’s only true on the surface.” (Publishers Weekly)
“Marvelous and essential...[Stavridis] not only describes what his subtitle promises - the history and geopolitics of the world’s oceans - but also seeks to accomplish something far more elusive, sophisticated, and significant: To show how service at sea in one of the world’s great global navies simultaneously expands tactical, operational, strategic, and policy knowledge and skills in an officer and - most important - develops insights in him or her regarding myriad possible interconnections among those levels of conflict.... This is a book for all sailors and policymakers, and especially for those who are both.” (Proceedings Magazine)
Excellent review of sea power
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James Stavridis didn't take the pedagogic route , nor did he take the route of a boring historian. He sounded like exactly what he is -- an Admiral, and took the readers around the seas surrounding the planet earth and provided a brief, but still deep, understanding of the key Geopolitics of the respective body of waters.
I highly recommend this book /audio book for anyone who is interested about Sea Power.
Amazing book, amazing audio book reader...
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Highly Recommend. Brilliant, engaging & thoughtful
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Very Simple
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Correct title should be “White Paper on Maritime Diplomacy”
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Fascinating
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Excellent
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Informative
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BZ Shipmate
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Tells how it was, is and should be
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