| This seminar examines several historical case studies (before 1974) involving the use of navies as instruments of national policy. Naval forces usually constitute a sovereign entity operating either in the international zone of the high seas, or within the coastal waters of other sovereign states. These are very powerful capacities, but most governments live on the land and are only indirectly affected by events at sea. This course will therefore focus on: changing naval technologies, and their significance for the capacity of navies to affect political objectives; the legal regime in which naval forces operate, and its implication for the strategic roles of navies; the methods and problems associated with naval forces in crisis management and deterrence; and the relationship of naval power with trade and empire. “Not intended for regular graduate students as part of their required courses without permission of the graduate committee of the History GAU”. |
