Super Highway: Sea Power in the 21st Century

'Whosoever commands the sea, commands the trade; whosoever commands the trade of the world commands the riches of the world, and consequently the world itself.' Sir Walter Raleigh The sea is the engine of globalisation. Since the voyages of the European explorers in the 15th century, it has played a crucial role in the movement of people, goods and ideas; today, over 90 per cent of the world's trade goes by sea. In this important and timely book, maritime and geo-political strategist Chris Parry reveals how the sea's role as the world's 'super highway' will make it a key arena for both cooperation and competition, as states and multi-national companies seek to assert claims over the seas. Offering essential insights into naval capacity, international security and new technologies, Super Highway explores the development of oceanic resources, climate change and rising sea levels, new trade routes across the Arctic, threats from criminal elements, new sources of oil and gas, and the increasing challenge to the USA's hegemony from China and others.The prize for maritime dominance in the 21st century, as at any other time since the 15th century, is control of the strategic and economic levers of world power and influence. Super Highway shows that what happens next on the seas will profoundly affect the lives of us all, and those of generations to come.

About the Author :
Chris Parry read Modern History at Jesus College, Oxford, and joined the Royal Navy as a Seaman Officer in 1972, subsequently joining the Fleet Air Arm as an Observer in 1978. Mentioned in dispatches during the Falklands War for disabling a submarine and rescuing 16 SAS troopers from a glacier in South Georgia, he later commanded a destroyer, an assault ship and the UK's Amphibious Task Group. As a Rear Admiral in 2005, he was the Director General, Developments, Concepts and Doctrine in the UK Ministry of Defence, before retiring in 2008, to form a company that specialises in geo-strategic forecasting and risk assessment. He was the first Chair of the UK's Marine Management Organisation and is the author of Down South: A Falklands War Diary.

Review :
"Admiral Chris Parry's new book, "Super Highway: Sea Power in the 21st Century," is a good grounding tool to "re-baseline" one's perspective on the modern seas...The book is well-informed building material with which one can develop one's own unique thesis & policy perspectives." --War on the Rocks