Concept of Sea Power
AbstractIn this chapter different perspectives on the concept of sea power are considered. On the one hand, sea power is defined accordingly, whereby it must be emphasized that sea power is not only composed of the number of ships or material but also of the degree to which it can influence and compel other countries/actors. The concept of sea power is then examined based on the International Relations theories of Realism and Liberalism. In order to understand the origins and also the development in the twentieth century of the concept of sea power, the most important cornerstones of the leading naval thinkers of the “blue-water school,” Alfred Thayer Mahan and Sir Julian Corbett, are presented. This work ends with a review of the concept of sea power during the Cold War.