ABSTRACT
This chapter, the final empirical chapter, documents the contemporary freedom of the seas discourse. This chapter explores how the discourse has been used since the end of the Cold War and details how freedom of the seas discourse remained squarely centered around protecting the navigational abilities of the US Navy. In US foreign policy, freedom of the seas remains an essential component of the United States’ ability to project power around the world and intervene in crises wherever they may arise. This chapter shows that the United States still abides by the position that American forward deployment and power projection are essential to defend the world's commercial linkages. From the Cold War to the present, the practice of Freedom of Navigation Operations continued and became increasingly oriented towards contesting extraterritorial claims and Anti-Access/Area Denial capabilities.
