Conflict at sea

At the beginning of The Influence of Sea Power upon History, 1660–1783, Alfred Thayer Mahan depicts the history of seapower as “largely, though by no means solely, a narrative of contests between nations.” ¹ Perhaps his work became a self-fulfilling prophecy, but events during the century after the publication of Mahan’s book seem to have vindicated his conclusions. However, after the end of the Cold War, contests and conflicts at sea declined considerably as states found themselves increasingly confronted with a totally new reality.