Sea Power: The History and Geopolitics of the World's Oceans

by James G. Stavridis

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.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, Military Fiction, Military History, War, Naval History

Audible Audio

First published June 6, 2017

About the author

A Florida native, Jim Stavridis attended the US Naval Academy at Annapolis, and spent 37 years in the Navy, rising to the rank of 4-star Admiral. Among his many commands were four years as the 16th Supreme Allied Commander at NATO, where he oversaw operations in Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, the Balkans, and counter piracy off the coast of Africa. He also commanded US Southern Command in Miami, charged with military operations through Latin America for nearly three years. He was the longest serving Combatant Commander in recent US history. Following his military career, he served for five years as the 12th Dean of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

In the course of his career in the Navy, he served as senior military assistant to the Secretary of the Navy and the Secretary of Defense. He led the Navy’s premier operational think tank for innovation, Deep Blue, immediately after the 9/11 attacks. Admiral Stavridis was promoted directly from 1-star rank to 3-star rank in 2004.
He won the Battenberg Cup for commanding the top ship in the Atlantic Fleet and the Navy League John Paul Jones Award for Inspirational leadership, along with more than 50 US and international medals and decorations, including 28 from foreign nations. He also commanded a Destroyer Squadron and a Carrier Strike Group, both in combat.

In 2016, he was vetted for Vice President by Secretary Hillary Clinton, and subsequently invited to Trump Tower to discuss a cabinet position with President Donald Trump.

He earned a PhD from The Fletcher School at Tufts, winning the Gullion prize as outstanding student in his class in 1983, as well as academic honors from the National and Naval War Colleges as a distinguished student. He speaks Spanish and French.
Admiral Stavridis has published ten books on leadership, the oceans, maritime affairs, and Latin America, as well as hundreds of articles in leading journals. An active user of social networks, he has tens of thousands of connections on the social networks. His TED talk on 21st century security in 2012 has close to one million views. He tweeted the end of combat operations in the Libyan NATO intervention. His two most recent books are “Sailing True North: Ten Admirals and the Voyage of Character” in 2019 and the novel “2034: A Novel of the Next World War” in 2021.

Admiral Stavridis is a monthly columnist for TIME Magazine and Chief International Security and Diplomacy Analyst for NBC News.

He is happily married to Laura, and they have two daughters – one working at Google and the other a Registered Nurse and former naval officer, both married to physicians.

Recent commentary: https://admiralstav.com/news/

Reviews

[Vheissu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Admiral Stavridis' book would make a good, undergraduate introduction to the field of geopolitics and will interest those with a general interest in world affairs, including likely scenarios for the near future. He offers no startling insights (maybe with one exception, below) and his review of history is cursory and sometimes omits events that, for me anyway, would well inform his analysis and his readers.

One thing that leaps from the pages of his book, and that strikes me above all, is the admiral's personality and values, which I find admirable (no pun intended) in every respect. He is no bleeding-heart but neither is he a Tom Clancy warmonger. A former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO and now dean of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Admiral Stavridis is a thoughtful, well-informed, and sympathetic voice for the many nations with which the United States has close naval relations. I can only imagine that the sailors and Marines who served under him must have had the greatest professional respect and personal affection for the admiral. He is an exceptional writer, which I appreciate greatly. I suspect that, were I fortunate enough to be a member of his faculty, I would benefit from his leadership and mentoring.

Stavridis' work mostly concerns policy choices for the United States, but he understands and appreciates the opportunities for global cooperation. For example, he strongly argues that the United States should ratify the Law of the Seas Treaty (he wrote a doctoral dissertation on the subject) and he urges the United States to reconsider membership in the Trans-Pacific Partnership. He supports the work of the Arctic Council in mediating disputes and establishing policies for the "Northern Sea." And as supreme commander of NATO, he led the multinational effort to combat piracy in the Arabian Sea, an effort that included Russia, China and Iran (!). One of his more innovative suggestions is to internationalize the U.S. base at Guantánamo and convert it to a hub for humanitarian relief purposes for the benefit of the impoverished and frequent victims of natural disasters in the Caribbean region. That had never occurred to me, but I think it is a great idea and possible initiative to normalize U.S.-Cuban relations.

In brief, Admiral Stavridis views the Pacific, Northern Atlantic, and Caribbean to be mostly conflict free in the near future. Although he doesn't say it, his analysis and my own suspicions suggest that the Arctic will become a Russian lake, like it or not. The United States simply does not have the historical interest or the naval forces to be much of a factor in the "Northern Sea." Like Iran and the Hormuz Straits, the United States could effectively shut down the Arctic trade routes by closing the Bering Strait, but as in the Arabian Gulf, that would be an act of war and something the United States would only consider in the most dire circumstances. Short of war, Russia will become the dominate player in the Arctic and Moscow has good reasons to cooperate peacefully with the other littoral states.

The two places that worry the admiral most are the Eastern Mediterranean and the South China Sea. Russia, with its naval base at Tartus, Syria, is beefing up its Mediterranean fleet in order to support the Assad dictatorship and meddle elsewhere in the Middle East. In addition, the admiral worries about the political instability in Libya and the potential for terrorists to infiltrate Italy and other nations on the Adriatic from the North African nation. Consequently, he urges that the Sixth Fleet be increased from two or three ships to ten.

Like almost everybody else, Stavridis sees the South China Sea as the most dangerous operating area for the foreseeable future. China persists in building illegal "islands," essentially permanent aircraft carriers, in both international waters and the exclusive economic zones of American friends in the region, like Vietnam and, depending on how you define "friend," the Philippines. This gives China the ability to disrupt trade routes from Singapore to Yokohama. China already has conflicts with Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan regarding ownership of islands in the Sea of China that could erupt, and in fact have erupted, into military conflict. Chinese-Taiwanese relations, of course, are nearly as bad as they have ever been since China's "opening" in the late 70s and early 80s. Stavridis recommends that the United States insist on its right to operate in international waters, and develop closer relations with the nations in the region, including, although not a South China Sea littoral state, India. The Trans-Pacific Partnership was America's best, non-military hope for countering Chinese power in the region, a hope that President Trump dashed and one that his 2016 Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, cravenly abandoned.

Stavridis doesn't omit North Korea as a threat to the United States and its allies, Japan and South Korea, but he seems confident that allied cyber-warfare will keep the "hermit kingdom" in line, including, if necessary, taking down Pyongyang's electric grid! (As though they actually use electricity there.)

Stavridis is no Alfred Thayer Mahan and his book is no The Influence of Sea Power on History. It is, however, a quick and enjoyable read, especially for those who have a casual interest in U.S. and world affairs.

[Kinga · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a book about oceans, this was surprisingly shallow. Tee hee.

James Stavridis comes across as an affable man (or as affable as a military man can be, I suppose there are limits to your affableness if of all available paths you choose the one that has killing people in the job description - assuming of course you had plenty of choice), so I wanted to like this book because look at him, who would want to leave a negative review of the book authored by this self-deprecating middle aged man.

I don’t doubt his expertise but the whole thing felt very much phoned in. We are getting a quick run through all the seas and oceans (with a conspicuously missing Baltic, but then the whole thing is US-centric and the US doesn’t much care about the Baltic), starting with the history and then followed by some policy advice. The historical bits were simplified, occasionally plain wrong (check reviews on Amazon that list those errors), and didn’t feel rigorous enough.

The policy bits were slightly better but they too were more of a dream board of what could be done in every part of the world given unlimited resources, rather than a holistic and realistic global policy that would inevitably have to prioritise certain things.

Politically, Stavridis is trying to stay firmly in the centre, and while it might occasionally look commendable, he often comes across spineless and convictionless.

He is also not the greatest writer, and, for god’s sake, his editor should’ve cut out 80% of the ‘to say the least’ because that was a weird tick.

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sea Power: The History and Geopolitics of the World's Oceans by James Stavridis, is an examination of the importance of the world's Oceans in terms of geopolitical control. Stavridis breaks down each Ocean and sea, examining the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, South China and the Caribbean. The author breaks down the history of these regions, in terms of the development of sea power in the regions, up to the present day. He intersperses these with personal anecdotes on his time at sea, as a former US Navy sailor and admiral. He ends the book with an examination of the importance of sea power and control of strategic points in terms of US geopolitical strategy.

To be frank, I did not really enjoy this book. The history offered was shallow, but was the most interesting part of the book. The addition of Stavridis' ruminations on his time at sea were not for me at all. I was looking for a more straightforward examination of the history of each Sea and Ocean, as well as a nonstrategic examination, and although these are present, they do not seem to be the main focus. Fleshing out the history, and doing a more thorough examination of US military policy and strategy would have improved the quality of the book vastly. This is not to say the book is worthless. A reader may enjoy the Admiral's stories, and may genuinely be looking for a more light text to read. I was hoping for a more strategic examination, and was a bit disappointed. Certainly not a waste of time, but readers should be cautious that the word "Geo-strategy" in the subtitle may be a tad misleading. Recommended for those looking for a lighter history text, or one for information on the history of the Oceans and Seas, but not for those looking for a deeper analysis of these areas histories and geostrategic importance.

[Phrodrick slowed his growing backlog · Rating 3 out of 5]

Q: What is the difference between a fairy tale and a sea story?
A:
A Fairy tale begins,” Once upon a time…”
A sea story begins: No bull! Is was just like this…”
Traditional

Large parts of Admiral and Professor’s James Stavridis’ Sea Power: The History and Geopolitics of the World's Oceans is a combination of sea stories and shallow recitations of history. This history is not just undergraduate level, it may have been gleaned from Naval Academy undergraduate essays. The sea stories may serve to emphasize that he is writing about places he knows firsthand, but that makes this too much of a memoir, that is less than an autobiography. All of that aside some of his analysis is very insightful, important and perhaps necessary.

In particular every one of his warnings about China as the dominant, and less than friendly power Across the East, North and South China Seas has proved to be no less than prescient. And in the years since publication, China exhibits no indications of becoming less so. Likewise his warnings about Russia as a slightly less, but carefully growing threat in its many areas of geographic self-interest need to be part of America’s situational awareness. However much we celebrated the “End of History” at the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall, The Admiral is very clear sighted in sharing with us some of what he learned from being there as various aspects of 2021 geo-politics were manifesting themselves in 2017.

Having addressed the major points, there are a few reef points, ( As a USNA graduate he will get the reference.) Adm. Stavridis cannot help but be very conversant with terms like the “littoral”, and “choke points’, but he misses the duty of an educator, particularly when writing to a general audience, to make clear the meaning of the terms and underlining the importance of them.

littoral, broadly speaking is that part of a land mass, island or continent, that is suitable for amphibious action. A more technically accurate definition is that the littoral is where the sea comes up to the shore, rather like where the beach comes into the sea. At the time this book was being written the Navy was very concerned with adopting this term in its strategic thinking and in fact new classes of ships were built with this new point of view in mind.

At the end of the book, Adm. Stavaridis acknowledges that in choosing the name Sea Power, he was taking up where Professor E B Potter’s standard text book Sea Power had ended. Both The Admiral and I read this book as part of our plebe year Naval History course. He should have more deeply considered why the Potter book was a standard text. What The Admiral might have done better with his book, would have been to give some preference to defining Sea Power, its various concepts and why a general reader will benefit from such knowledge.

[Julian Douglass · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part memoir, part history, part geostrategic policy. A enjoyable read about all of the oceans and how that have shaped American history, Admiral Stavridis knows his history and what it takes to command the seas. I would not take this as the definitive history of any of the body of waters that were discussed, but it is a good starting point and a great way to see how the Navy thinks about the importance of the oceans and waterways on this planet.

[Michael Neiberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted much more. It reads like an undergraduate introduction to the topic.

[Jimmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful and highly informative book on geopolitics. The author James G. Stavridis is an accomplished US Naval Admiral and among his many accomplishment was being the Supreme Allied Commander for NATO towards the end of his career. His perspective is quite insightful and I would say unique! He’s not only looking at this in light of analysis and history but also shares his personal “sea stories” that makes this book all the more interesting.
One of the reason why I like this book is that often when I think of geo-political realities I think in terms of land. But this book looks at it from the perspective of seas and the ocean. The book covers the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Indian and Artic Ocean with their history and current political and economic reality and relationship between states concerning those body of waters. The book also explore other seas such as the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and the Arabian Gulf.
I enjoyed the discussion of the history of naval warfare in the book. I learned a lot from this book. I also enjoyed the discussion about how the Atlantic Ocean had a lot of blood spilled in the past but now is generally peaceful overall. This in contrast with the Pacific today which originally is named Pacific for unintended irony. Of course the book discusses a lot of geopolitical realities in light of present US involvement whether militarily, politically and economically. One learn a lot of the perspective of the US Navy and policy makers in this book. For instance I never knew the US 5th Fleet is the biggest in Bahrain. It was interesting to hear of the author’s personal recommendation as well. It might be more interventionists than some people might like it but still it is important to consider the rationale and perspective of those that see the use of US military as a means to bring regional stability and also to bring about good. There’s a lot of interesting perspective that goes beyond newsbytes. I was challenged with the author’s point about when we look at Asia we often miss India and in the future we must consider India more as a regional friend in light of its growing presence in Asia. Sadly other countries sometimes eclipse India in US relationship and outlook in Asia. Readers will also benefit from the author’s historical insight. I thought the discussion about the history of European colonization of the Caribbean was illuminating of why there was a shift of using black slaves as opposed to white indentured servants. It turn out that Europeans were vulnerable to yellow fever but those from Africa were less vulnerable so the choice of a workforce of Africa was preferred; this sadly brought with it a troubled legacy for European colonialism and the Slave Trade. The book also looks to the future. I thought the author made a good point about the danger of overfishing presently and also rogue states not abiding with current international laws. Also future laws and enforcement might still be needed.
The book is fascinating in so many ways. I recommend it.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Update 2025: I've just read that China has begun shipping to Europe through the Arctic this year along the Russian littoral.

*

Retired admiral Jim Stavridis writes about the history of oceans and a little about his career. He speaks about each ocean or body of water individually before turning to international issues like piracy and overfishing. The intended audience seems to be the general public.

A few thoughts.

-"Littoral." I wasn't familiar with this word. Now I've seen it a million times.

-There is a political approach in much of the writing. Columbus, for example, was a great explorer but Stavridis's younger colleagues would eventually point out that he was incredibly brutal to the people he found and enslaved in the Caribbean. Stavridis seems to navigate to a non-position -- Can't we all just agree to disagree? Everyone has their own perspective, after all. He does this regularly, and it often works, but at times, his writing becomes grating in its dedication to the middle.

-The discussion of the Arctic actually disgusted me, though Stavridis is not to blame unless you're the sort who shoots the messenger. It's difficult to escape that the militaries and governments along the Arctic (and outside observers) have set timetables (2040) for turning the melting ice caps into shipping lanes -- and the amount of hydrocarbons is unbelievable! It occurs to me that every political talking point on climate change should be countered with questions about "developing" the Arctic for shipping lanes and oil extraction.

-He often mentions that American spending on its military is declining, but this raw statistic is never contextualized. It never mentions that American spending on its military spiked just before that decline. It never discusses the spending within a context of decades.

-The section on the Internet was interesting, particularly how much it is dependent on underwater cables between the continents. He speculates about a floating network that might be established.

-Believe it or not, the solution to every problem can include either expanding or upgrading the fleet. This may be an unfair note, as he often speaks to diplomatic avenues, but the book does advocate for the creation of two new fleets in addition to maintaining the already established fleets.

-The life of a sailor seems very dull. Frankly, I sometimes suspected that he wanted to write a memoir and realized that there wasn't enough material. At other times, I wondered if he was floating this book as a sort of resume. He worked with Rumsfield, but it does not seem like he's been picked up by Presidents Obama and Trump.

-The ocean is huge. It covers 70% of the planet's surface. But there are choke points between the oceans are complicate travel between them. It occurs to me that leaders who build canals may actually be granting their country massive profits.

Many of these notes sound like critiques, but I'll also note that I learned a lot from this book (perhaps because it's not a subject I read about very often -- or hardly at all). I'd recommend it to anyone with only a passing interest in the oceans.

[Tanel Joon · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is a geopolitical overview with focus on marine power. I'm quite disappointed in the material - nothing new is brought up, other geopolitical and land based books are better at explaining naval objectives. Neither is the style is not to my taste - expect quotes from and similar to Pirates of The Caribbean movies and long stories of the authour drinking his buddies. The title should as well specify the singular focus on US policy.

[Rachel Tiku · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read this for a class at bocconi... so bad and now need to write 3000 word essay about it wtf

US-centric POV is so icky

[Koosha · Rating 2 out of 5]

A rather shallow book about the geopolitics of the oceans and major seas. Unfortunately, it has many factual errors that I could spot, and probably more that I couldn't. When you see such mistakes in a book, it's hard to trust the author's expertise in the other areas he or she is touching on.

Some of the errors I noticed:
P.96: ".. Bahrain is a predominantly Sunni.": Bahrain is predominantly Shi'a. The United States Fifth Fleet is based in Bahrain. How did Adm. Stavridis missed this fact?
P.251: Talking about European Arctic nations, states that all of them are members of the European Union with the notable exception of Norway: This is incorrect, Iceland is not a member of the EU either.
P.252: "The Icelanders, who posses no actual territory within the Arctic Circle..": Iceland's has territory in the Arctic Circle, it's the Grímsey island.

And some ridiculous claims about the benevolence of the United State's foreign policy:
P.160: Talking about Syria: "This collides with the views of the United States and other NATO allies, which are seeking the overthrow of Assad based on his use of chemical weapons, torture, and barrel bombs in the civil war." There's no doubt Assad is a tyrant, but does Adm. Stavridis expect us to believe that the United State's foreign policy in Syria is aimed at protecting the Syrian people?

[Boudewijn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A grand overview of the strategic role that the different oceans have played in history. By understanding the history through the lens of naval power, it is possible to identify not only the mistakes in the past but steer away from them in the future.

Each ocean is dealt with in a separate chapter with some advise on how to deal with the specific problems that are (or may) occurring in that particular area. It's part memoir, part history, part geography and strategic thinking from a retired American admiral. Although - unsurprisingly - heavily biased to the strategy of the United States, also non-Americans can gain an understanding how the oceans of the world will influence the decisions and future of mankind.

Perhaps the best part is the final chapter, where the American naval strategy is dealt with, with some advice from the admiral.

[Omar Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not really a history of sea power in any strong sense. Stavridis mostly gives a somewhat superficial and cliched review of all the world's oceans (the books is organized ocean by ocean) and ends with some cliched remarks about the importance of sea power and that is about it. If you are interested in a history of sea power, this is not really the book for you.
Still, you will learn some new things (and several good book recommendations; he recommends books about every topic he covers) and it does have some nice anecdotes about his time in the US Navy and its activities around the world in the last 40 years.
Not much meat.

[Alexandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

One third memoir, one third geopolitical conjecture, one third essentialist-based history. Regularly sinophobic, assuming Chinese intentions are automatically suspicious and that American intentions are, at present, always based in good morals, good faith, and good governance. I suppose I should expect this, seeing as it was written by a retired admiral, but I wanted to give it a chance and learn about the sea from someone who knows it well. Giving this 1.5 stars (rounding up) for the writing style, which is okay, but that's about it.

[Özer Öz]

Egemen güç amiralinin tüm dünya denizleri, tarihi balıkçılıktan çevreye dair genel bir ahkam kesmesi. Denizcilik ve deniz tarihi tabi ki başta bahriye olmak üzere meraklıysanız okunur.

Ancak oldukça karışık bir kurgusu var, bir anılar patlaması şeklinde. 1 ve 2 dünya savaşı ve savaşlar tarihi hakkında pek fikri olmayanlara iyi genel kültür kitabı olabilir.

[Tom Mathews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Admiral James Stavridis’ new book, may not be for everyone but if, like me, you have an abiding fascination with what make the world we live in function as it does, you may enjoy this book. Starting with the Pacific Ocean and including a chapter on every ocean and strategic body of water, Admiral Stavridis delivers a high school level summary of each’s history and how its location makes it vital to which countries. He concludes by offering his assessment of the state of the world and what is needed to steer us safely through the perilous waters we now find ourselves in.

As with all wise history teachers, he uses the lessons of the past to illuminate our current path.

"The weakness of the Qing dynasty was an aberration in the long history of Chinese domination in the South China Sea, as Deng Xiaoping was said to have told Henry Kissinger, China is a great civilization that has had a couple bad centuries. That weakness, so apparent in the twentieth century in particular, is outside the norm, and current events in the South China Sea show that the pendulum is swinging back strongly"

With these words we know that Stavridis isn’t talking about some ancient king or even the Nixon presidency but about the China that we face today. The book is timely enough to include his assessment of the new president and on more than one occasion he counsels a more considered, less hyperbolic approach to the issues that face us.

Bottom line: I’m a sucker for anything related to the sea and those who sail upon it so I jumped on this book when asked to review it. While I enjoyed it, I think the content was a bit too basic in that it neglected some of the bigger themes such as how man’s mastery of the sea shifted the center of the commercial and intellectual world from the east with its silk roads to the west. On the upside, his recommendations provide a good framework for achieving peace and security by combining active negotiations such as the Iranian Arms Treaty with defensive security programs such as THAAD and AEGIS missile defense systems

For the sake of expedience, I chose to listen to the audio version of Adm. Stavridis’ book. Marc Cashman is a talented reader and has a pleasant voice but he exhibits an ignorance of the proper pronunciation of nautical terms such as ‘forecastle’ and ‘letters of marque’ that I found jarring, especially since much of the book is written by Stavridis in the first person. Whenever this happened I would be momentarily shocked to think that an admiral wouldn’t know how to pronounce such words.

*Quotations are cited from an advanced reading copy and may not be the same as appears in the final published edition. The review was based on an advanced reading copy obtained at no cost from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review. While this does take any ‘not worth what I paid for it’ statements out of my review, it otherwise has no impact on the content of my review.

FYI: On a 5-point scale I assign stars based on my assessment of what the book needs in the way of improvements:
*5 Stars – Nothing at all. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
*4 Stars – It could stand for a few tweaks here and there but it’s pretty good as it is.
*3 Stars – A solid C grade. Some serious rewriting would be needed in order for this book to be considered great or memorable.
*2 Stars – This book needs a lot of work. A good start would be to change the plot, the character development, the writing style and the ending.
*1 Star - The only thing that would improve this book is a good bonfire.

[Matt Lewis · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you saw this book in the history section and thought it would be a good read for history, you would be mistaken. With roughly 40 pages dedicated respectively to the entire history of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans respectively, the history is less in-depth than a high school history course. The level of historical analysis is so sparse that this book is hardly worth reading. Admiral Stavridis also fancies himself a good writer, but I found many of his ticks, asides, and memoiristic reflections to be unnecessary or just outright insulting. In the final chapter after describing how the seafloor has varied geographical features, Adm. Stavridis makes sure to clarify to the reader that the undersea cables are man-made, unlike the plateaus, mountains, valleys, and plains. One of the first things we learn in high school writing is not to insult the intelligence of your audience, and I get that this was written for a popular audience, but come on. The asides about times where Adm. Stavridis piloted a ship into the Indian Ocean or ate lunch with a Turkish General would be fine in a memoir, but this book wasn't marketed as such. This was supposed to be a history book with sprinkles of policy analysis.

Where this book shines, and where it redeemed a second star, was in its policy analysis. Adm. Stavridis uses his years as the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO to give some policy prescriptions that are sorely needed. US maritime policy needs attention and unfortunately, it does not get it. Adm. Stavridis has foreign policy recommendations that make sense and don't draw a hard party line. If you read this, read it for the contemporary analysis and nothing else.

[Charles · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing Survey of Historic and Present Importance of Sea Power

Given Admiral Stavridis’ distinguished naval career and his present position as dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts, I expected much from what is billed as “The History and Geopolitics of the World’s Oceans.”

Unfortunately, Stavridis’ writing is flat, and while he sprinkles his narrative with some personal experiences from his many years at sea, much of the analysis struck me as the kind of information one could access through a series of Google searches. Or, at times I felt that the text may have come from assembling speaking notes the author may have delivered in the Sea History 101 course. If so, it likely provoked Midshipmen or Fletcher students to doze.

As the reader is invited to consider each of the world’s oceans in turn, the common argument is that the United States is underinvesting in naval power in each. Consequently there is no attempt to prioritize the funding of global naval operations.

Most disturbing, however, were the many factual errors in the book, which have been enumerated by other reviewers and which I will not repeat. Surely the reader has a right to expect more from the author and the book’s editors.

The book falls far short of the jacket claim that this is a powerful update of Alfred Thayer Mahan’s legendary book, “The Influence of Sea Power upon History”. For a history of sea power, go to the original, and for an analysis of the current geopolitical situation on the oceans, go elsewhere.

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

​In his book, "Sea Power", Admiral James Stavridis takes us a look at the world's oceans and their importance to mankind from ancient times to today. The bulk of the book reviews the history of the oceans and the nation's surrounding them, with the remaining of the content divided between geography lessons, political commentary on the coastal nations, discussions on the importance of the oceans and the threats the oceans face today, and personal recollections of ​his career ​as a ​naval officer ​as he sailed the seven seas.
He covers ​the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Indian, the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, and Arctic Oceans, as well as the South China Sea, and talks about the significant nations along each area, in historical days as well as today. Stavridis seamlessly discusses the history of the​se​ region​s​ and their importance militarily, and in terms of exploration and trade over the years. He also includes relevant current events for these regions, the challenges and threats facing these regions, and threats to the well being of the sea itself, whether from over fishing, pollution, or climate change. ​In addition, he adds some personal stories, adding insights as to what it's like being a naval officer on some of our largest and most modern warships, and ends giving the reader some thoughts about the oceans today and important considerations for the future.

[Pinar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bu kitaba tamamen konuya olan kişisel ilgimden ve satır arası bilgilerden dolayı 3 yıldız veriyorum, yoksa tam olarak ne olduğu anlaşılmayan, eh işte bir eser. Tarih kitabı desen değil, anı kitabı desen değil.

Kitap bir Nato birliklerinde çalışmış yunan asıllı bir Amerikan amiralinin anıları (gezdiği gördüğü yerler, ordaki kadınlar, barlar falan da dahil olmak üzere), denizler ve deniz savaşları tarihi üzerine kişisel seçimleri ve yorumları. Buradan daha geniş bir parantezle devam edeyim. Kitabın bölümleri Atlantik, Pasifik, Hint Okyanusu, Akdeniz (içinde Kara Deniz), Çin Denizi, Karayipler falan şeklinde gidiyor.

Tarihsellik olarak nereden başladığı nerede bittiği belli olmayan bir dönemi, sürekli bir git gelleriçinde anlatıyor. Örneğin Hint Okyanusunu anlatırken tamamen güncel jeopolitik ilişkiler üzerine giderken, Akdeniz bölümünde birden antik yunana geçiyor. Akdeniz'de günümüze geliyor, Karaiplerde tekrar Kristof Kolomb'a dönüyor..

Hint Okyanusunu, güncel jeopolitik analiz bölümü ilgiyle dinledim. Bin yıllık İran Körfezi (Persian gulf) yerine politik bir kararla Arap Körfezi denmeye başlanması aynen bizim "rus salatası" hikayesi. Acaba bizden mi esinlenmişler, yoksa bize lütfen artık "amerikan salatası" deyiniz şeklinde bir ricada mı bulunmuşlar.

Akdenizi anlattığı bölümden feci nefret ettim. Başta Akdeniz'e (Meditterranean) kısaca Med demesi olmak üzere. Akdeniz tarihi elbette en eski ve yoğun deniz ve deniz savaşları tarihi aynı zamanda. Orada cesur yunan denizcilerin romalılarla olan savaşları falan içinde hiç bir askeri veya tarihi bilgi olmayan bir sürü gaz hikayeler. Yazar nerdeyse bütün Akdeniz deniz savaşları içinden hala kutlanan Osmanlı'nın artık durdurulduğu İnebahtı deniz savaşını anlatmış. Ama hani ben daha iyi anlatırım öyle diyim.

İstanbul'un fethi, Fatih'in gemileri karadan yürütmesi falan da geçiyor cümle olarak kitapta.

En sinir olduğum Gelibolu Savaşı gibi dünya tarihini değiştiren bir savaşı anlatışı oldu: "karadakiler ve denizdekiler savaşı, ama ben iyi ki denizdekilerdenim, bir sonraki limana gidicem" şeklindeki bitirişi. Savaşın dünyaya etkilerine bile adam gibi değinmeme durumu. Bu bölümde Atatürk'e ve "Anzak annelerine olan mektubuna falan da değiniliyor. Bingo olarak yazarın İlker Başbuğ'u tanıdığı, görevli olduğu dönemde Çanakkale'yi İlker Başbuğ ile birlikte gezdiğini öğreniyoruz. İlker Başbuğ'un haksız suçlanması, hapse girmesi ve haklarının iadesine falan da değiniyor. Örneklerden de anlayacağınız üzere kitapta deniz ve okyanuslar tarihinin tarafsız ve tatmin edici bir incelemesi yok. Deniz savaşlarının tatmin edici bir incelemesi yok. ABD askeri politikası ve stratejilerinin denizler üzerinde kapsamlı bir incelemesi yok.

[Cristian · Rating 3 out of 5]

El planteamiento de este libro está mal y no sé quién ha aconsejado a este señor, pero ha conseguido crear dos libros en uno. El primero me ha horrorizado casi, mientras que el segundo me ha enriquecido mucho. El problema es que cuando comienzas a leer el libro parece que se trata de un libro de historia de los mares (justo, ya que es la primera parte del subtítulo del libro), pero ¿por qué un almirante estadounidense se dedicaría a hacer algo así con la cantidad de buenos libros hechos por historiadores sobre el mundo marino que hay? Básicamente los capítulos sobre el Pacífico, el Atlántico y el Mediterráneo tienen poco o nada que aportar, la última página de cada capítulos resume somerísimamente la importancia actual de estas regiones; pero el resto recopila tendencias de poder marítimo mal explicadas, históricamente con un sólo punto de vista y sin ningún beneficio.

Ahora, sobre geopolítica (la segunda parte del subtítulo) el libro ofrece mucho y de calidad. Los análisis y perspectivas de un comandante supremo aliado en Europa de la OTAN son obviamente útiles (aunque si te interesa el tema, por favor, lee también otro punto de vista que no sea otanista) y ponen al día de las estrategias e intereses de la esfera occidental sin tener que leer reportes o conjuntos de leyes. Sus previsiones sobre la importancia de enclaves estratégicos como el océano ártico o el mar de la china del sur han demostrado ser los focos de hoy en día; sus análisis Mahanianos de la proyección del poder naval responden a tendencias razonadas y bien estructuradas. Sin embargo, por supuesto, con este libro te vas a quedar sólo con el "¿qué debería hacer los EE.UU. aquí?" (estas son literalmente sus palabras). Mientras que sus intenciones e ideas sobre el rol de la Armada en el mundo actual no son descabelladas o sacadas de "La chaqueta metálica", la multipolaridad brilla por su ausencia y la cooperación siempre se refiere a la esfera otanista frente a los casi declarados "enemigos" aunque con los que también acepta la cooperación por su nuevo rol como potencias regionales (aunque no le queda otra).

El libro es justo e interesante, simplemente me habría gustado que la tendencia de los capítulos finales hubiera sido constante durante toda la obra y poder sacar algo bueno de la totalidad sin tener que descartar manualmente las observaciones de un nostálgico de la guerra santa entre oriente y occidente al estilo del general Patton.

[Marks54 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a general tour of the world policy horizon, with a particular focus on US naval maritime policy issues. The author is a retired four star admiral who had served as the head of NATO, a first for an alliance led by generals from its inception in the aftermath of WW2. Stavridis is now the Dean of the Flectcher School at Tufts, a position giving him entrance into the world of high level policy wonks. The book reads well and is filled with personal stories from the author's service all over the world. Stavridis comes across as a knowledge and steady hand, perfect for training future diplomats and warriors - less of a distinction these days than it once seemed for a country with three current or former generals occupying the top ranks of government.

I was hoping that this book would show off Stavridis' deep knowledge of naval affairs and thus provide some check on the musings of the pure academic/policy set, which has been active lately. This knowledge is apparent, but the format of the book seems to work against it. Stavridis takes the reader on a tour of the world's oceans and for each he provides an historical summary the culminates in a discussion of current policy issues that require attention. This generally works, although Stavridis is not a professional historian or a traditional scholar. It is clear that he knows what his doesn't know and can point the reader to a nice set of exquisite sources. He chooses his authors well, for example Robert Kaplan on political geography. The trouble is that the history is more often than not a summary - and a conventional one at that. More time could have been spent on developing the policy discussion and less was needed on establishing historical chops.

When he gets to the policy discussions, the book is on target. The discussion of the South China Sea, for example, is very sharp and interesting. I also enjoyed the chapter on the Article Ocean. Stavridis tries to keep the politics out of his story. That is a good thing, but the book was clearly finished in late 2016 and did not have the chance to include material on the policies of the current administration. My sense from the book was that Stavridis would not be a big fan but that is just my guess - and a tribute to his emphasis and keeping the political rhetoric levels turned down. That is fine with me. I am really not a fan of hot affect in contemporary naval policy. ... and I do not think Twitter was mentioned once.

Stavridis talked a lot about Mahan and his continuing influence and his application of Mahan's ideas was sharp. He noted that, like Mahan he had written several books, but that they did not seem to have limited his career progression as seemed to happen to Mahan. That is good - and I look forward to more books from Admiral Stavridis.

[Gregg Lines · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sea Power is a broad overview of the world’s seas, including an examination of the history, cultures, and current issues of each maritime arena. For those looking for an in depth treatment of naval history, combat, or exploration look elsewhere.

The best part of the book comes in the end of each chapter and the last two chapters in their entirety. In these sections the author gives you a unique look into the major challenges facing the US and other global actors. He offers not just critiques and lessons learned, but also detailed recommendations for how to move forward. These points all contribute to his ultimate recommendation that the US remember its maritime nature and invest in using the seas to promote trade and create further stability.

Woven throughout the book are the author’s personal observations and experiences. These are interesting and help inform the reader as to why the author believes what he does. They also help build up his credibility and demonstrate his far reaching experience around the globe.

There were two weak points for me. 1) The organization was a bit off. Later chapters are cleanly divided, but earlier chapters go in and out of history and strategy a bit too loosely. Sometimes when the stories are mixed in it can feel like rambling (imagine a salty chief explaining big picture ideas while inserting personal memoirs and sea stories. 2) The treatment of different cultures has a very European/Protestant bias. As I said before, don’t expect comprehensive history here. However, I do think that more could have been done to give the Persians, Chinese, and Native Americans (North, South, and Caribbean) a more fair representation as to their contributions to global history , technology, and commerce.

Overall, a must read for those interested in maritime and geopolitical affairs.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

The admiral and I were midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis in the mid 1970’s. He is two years my senior. As plebes (freshmen) we all took a year long course in naval history called Sea Power. Our text book was written by an academy emeritus professor, E. B. Potter.

This book bears no resemblance to that original tome. Thank God. Where as Potter’s book was a chronological and detailed history of geopolitics and the sea Stavridis’ book is organized geographically by sea with personal anecdotes of his cumulative eleven years at sea combined with naval history. It’s written for the layman.

The first chapter is the Pacific Ocean, larger in area than all the landmass of earth. How can you talk geopolitics without the oceans dominating the conversation? To his credit no mention until page 62 when he discusses the Atlantic of the American naval strategist Alfred Thayer Mahan, whose treatment in Potter’s text book verges on apotheosis. In decreasing surface area we are onto the Indian Ocean and this book was written before the name change from the US Pacific Command (USPACOM) to Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). The admiral would be happy at the change.

After chapters on specific seas he goes into the “seas as one” concept discussing the outlaw sea and more specifically piracy, fishing, and environmental degradation. Then it’s onto the final chapter in which America’s obligations and destiny are strategized and we meet Alfred Thayer Mahan in detail as Stavridis relates Mahan’s ideas to today’s challenges.

Just a superb overview of naval history and geopolitics and why the United States is and must never forget that it is THE maritime power.

[Chase Metcalf · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy and informative read for those who do not routinely think about national security affairs. The author mixes a cursory review of the major issues and geopolitical challenges shaping the security environment with anecdotal impressions of the various regions from his long and storied career as a naval officer. This makes the book informative and engaging helping to make up for its lack of depth on any particular issue.

In the end this is a good book for the layperson or someone looking to better understand the security environment from a naval perspective. While I would recommend this book I think books by George Friedman or Peter Zeihan proved more comprehensive consideration of the geopolitical environment and challenges facing the US today.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very comprehensive review of the history and importance of sea power. Whoever controls the sea, controls the world (or at least the region). The author has extensive experience as a seafaring navy officer, and ex-chief commander of NATO, and it was nice to listen to the stories of his exploits in the 7 seas. Of particular interest is the importance of the Arctic Ocean, that it would soon be able to be used as an additional route between Asia and Europe.

The author laid out the grand strategy of American sea power: more ships, newer technology, work with allies and friends. Basically more of the same. He stressed the importance of containing China, controlling Panama, and stationing of troops in strategic locations around the world.

It is a grand piece of work!

[Nick Quenga · Rating 2 out of 5]

Does what it says on the tin: world history overview grouped by oceanic/sea/coastal region. It was also heavily sprinkled with port visit stories from back when the US Navy did those sort of port calls.
The end of each chapter had a few recommendations for future US strategy for that region, all of which included Naval expansion of some kind, such as data transfer floats above fiber optic lines and a fleet of ice breakers. There was virtually no concession to mitigate an imagined infinite budget dream Navy or better deployment cycles.

[Christopher Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. As many have indicated, this is a great basic overview of the history of naval doctrine. The Admiral does a fantastic job of relating such an immense subject in such a way that even enthusiastic civilians can immerse themselves. This certainly isn’t a book on strategy and tactics. If you find yourself a young man trying to decide whether you should pursue military history or smoked meats as a middle aged man, you should give this a read. Ladies too, if you’re into this sort of thing.

Back to my Ian W. Toll.

[Garrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides basic foundational knowledge about each major ocean/sea. If you have a general understanding of world history, then I recommend focusing on the chapters covering the Arctic and discussing future Naval strategy. The Arctic discussion is timely and forward leaning. Similarly, the future naval strategy chapters pose thought-provoking ideas regarding naval tactics, integration, and political cooperation.

[Robert Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The mark of a great shiphandler is never getting into situations that require great shiphandling.”

Stavridis guides us through oceans and then smaller seas based on their relative importance and then chronologically describes the history of each body, ending on a “current state” and making policy/strategy recommendations to address the unique challenges facing each region.