G1-Seas and Oceans
G1-Seas and Oceans
G1-Seas and Oceans
Key Questions :
1. Why are maritime spaces (seas & oceans) critically important to globalization?
2. How are seas and oceans (maritime spaces) claimed by different states in need of protection,
and territories with open circulation (freedom of the seas)?
3. Why are some territories on the margins of globalization, based on their relation to maritime
spaces?
4. How can countries overcome such marginalization?
5. What transformations are underway in access to and regulation of maritime spaces?
6. What rivalries or conflicts are emerging in maritime spaces?
7. Compare what constitutes maritime power for France and for the United States?
8. What challenges contest the projection of French and American power in maritime spaces?
Learning objectives :
Identify the main maritime routes and the major stakes
Evaluate the importance of maritime spaces in globalization.
Analyze why access to the sea affects territories unequally.
Analyze how conflicting interests in maritime spaces leads to tensions between states.
Analyze and provide examples of geopolitical issues associated with maritime spaces
Evaluate the economic, diplomatic and military importance of maritime spaces for France
and the United States respectively.
Key Terms :
Maritime Spaces
Exclusive Economic Zones : is an area (200 nautical miles from the shore) of the sea in which
a sovereign state has exclusive rights regarding the exploration and exploitation (related terms :
sovereign territory, contigus zone, international water, continental shelf)
UN Convention Law of the Seas (UNCLOS) : adopted after the Convention of Montego Bay in Jamaica
in 1982, lays down a comprehensive regime of law and order in the world's oceans and seas
establishing rules governing all uses of the oceans and their resources, defines : sovereign territory,
contigus zone, EEZ and international water
Flags of Convenience (FOC) : If a ship sails under a flag of convenience, it means it is operated or
taxed under the laws of a country different from its home country in order to save money (related
terms: open registry)
Piracy : in waterways and choke points, internationally fought OM different scales : national (military
presence and bases in major maritime routes and choke points, especially Indian Ocean), regional
(Operation Ocean Shield by NATO off the African coast and Operation Atalanta by the EU) and
international (UN)
Containerization : the process of unitization of cargoes in exports, Lift On Lift Off (LOLO: load
transfer) and Roll-on Roll-off (RORO: load roll), developed fast since the 70’s, reduces time and cost
of trade, 66% of the value of global trade is carried in containers
Choke points: canals and straits (the English Channel, the Panama Canal, the Suez Canal, the Strait of
Malacca, Arctic Sea Routes) : slows down delivery, piracy, canal different from channel, the Suez
Canal blockage in 2021 because of a ship (estimated total trade loss roughly $54 billion)
Maritime Power : a nation with a very strong navy, which often is also a great power and can easily
control their coast, and exert influence upon both nearby and far countries (maritime superpower,
blue water navy)
Naval Power: Factors: history (conquests, Empire building, Maritime routes, Naval forces), territory
sovereignty, overseas territories, EEZ’s), economic (Ports, Commercial activities, Fisheries, Offshore
hydrocarbon deposit), technology (Shipping, offshore operations, submarine cables)/ Elements:
geopolitical and geostrategic (naval forces, aircraft carriers, submarines, piracy), geoeconomic
(shipowners, ports, trade, resources), geocultural (cultural influence, tourism?)/ Dynamics:
Territorialization and Maritimization, Securing and Controlling Maritime Routes, Exploitation and
Valorization of Maritime Resources
Organization :
1. Essential vectors of globalization (introduction) : international trade, waterways and choke
points
Choke points: canals and straits, Global Flows of the World Economy (Increasing specialization and
size of ships, 2018 : 28 million cruise passengers, 90% of goods are exported by ships), flows of
information (Submarine cables, 2018: 99% of internet traffic), the Connected Core (Global ports,
waterways, and Chokepoints/ North America, Western Europe, East Asia :most significant trade
flows/ Maritime facades, or port regions)
2. Consequences and Risks : true cost of shipping, excessive globalization, lockdown, pollution
(bilge dumping), laws of international water
Bilge dumping : leaves a black stripe, ship tracking with automatic information system (AIS), the 2008
crises and COVID-19 drop of trade then rebounds, UN Convention Law of the Seas (UNCLOS),
Exclusive Economic Zones
3. Ressources : fishing and overfishing
Biotic and abiotic ressources (fisheries, aquaculture/ sand, hydrocarbons, oil), resources depletion,
illegal fishing, fishes don’t reproduce themselves fast enough compared to the rate we exploit them
4. Arctic Case Study : How does the opening up of new sea routes increase geostrategic stakes
and power rivalries in the Arctic? exploitation of resources, new trade routes, geopolitical
stakes. The arctic council, Russia, the US, Canada, Norway, China, Denmark, climate change
(place where the ocean acidification is the fastest, activity create debris and noises pollution)
5. South China Sea Case Study : territorial competition, economic issues and freedom of
movement. Territorial competition, economic stakes, freedom of movement
Ressources (large fish stocks, hydrocarbons, 40% of global liquid natural gaz), 1 third of global
shipping (economic), sovereignty (challenging UNCLOS, Spratleys and Paracels islands where China
installed military bases, 9 dash line : 10 with Taiwan), Filipinos fishers arrested by Chinese coastal
guards, threat to freedom of navigation
6. Maritime Power : comparative analysis of the US and France (characteristics and challenges)
Both control the two largest EEZs, and they assert their respective maritime power despite the loss
of competitiveness of their ports, economic role of maritime spaces (resources, the flows of goods
and information), military and diplomatic aspects of maritime power, Maritime Power, Naval Power,
Factors (territory) : largest EEZ, (economics) : 2019: marine economy contributed about $397 billion
to US GDP, $665.7 billion in sales/ 2.4 million jobs, 2018-2019: Marine-related GDP grew 4.2%/ best
sectors (depending on sales) : tourism and recreation+national defense and public
administration+offshore minerals, Elements (geoeconomic) : US coasts, Factors (technology) : a lot of
offshore acreage off limit/ half of the top 10 universities in oceanography, Elements (geopolitical and
geostrategic) : 11 (the most) aircraft carriers
MIND MAP
LESSON :
Introduction :
The maritimization of economies and the opening up of international trade have given the seas and
oceans a fundamental role seas and oceans a fundamental role in supplying resources (fish, energy,
biochemicals, etc.), as well as for the movement of people and material and immaterial exchanges.
The importance of these routes and their itineraries vary according to the nature of the flows (of raw
materials, intermediate products, industrial products, goods, etc.), industrial products,
information...). But territories are unevenly integrated into globalization.
Maritime routes and undersea cables, like ports and operating areas, are concentrated on a few main
axes. Major upheavals are taking place, geostrategic stakes and power rivalries, particularly around
international canals and straits. The development and use of seas and oceans are part of an
ambivalent logic between freedom of movement and the desire to appropriate, enhance and protect
them. The delimitation of exclusive economic zones (EEZs) is today the main cause of tension
between States, due to the resources present in these zones and the desire of these States to exploit
them.