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Geopolitics On The High Seas And In Today's Headlines

Stavridis says the Mediterranean is a hot spot in the world today. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Hernan Vidaña/Released)
Stavridis says the Mediterranean is a hot spot in the world today. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Hernan Vidaña/Released)

With guest host Jane Clayson.

Former NATO top commander Adm. James Stavridis on the geopolitics playing out now on the world’s oceans – and on land.

James Stavridis rose through the ranks of the US Navy to commander. Went on to become supreme commander of NATO. All those US military engagements you remember from the news? Gulf War, Haiti, Bosnia, Iraq 2003? He was on the bridge or in the command center. The ocean is still his touchstone as he watches this century’s geopolitics unfold today. This hour On Point: Retired Adm. James Stavridis on a world of challenges, on the ocean and on land.

Guest

Adm. James Stavridis, author of “Sea Power: The History and Geopolitics of the World’s Oceans.” Former allied commander at NATO, where he oversaw operations in Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, the Balkans and piracy off the coast of Africa. Dean of the Fletcher School at Tufts University. ( @stavridisj)

Listen to some of the highlights from our conversation with Stavridis.

From The Reading List

Bloomberg: America Rules the Waves. But for How Long? — “China builds fake islands in the South China Sea. Russia fires missiles into Syria from the Mediterranean and Caspian Seas. North Korea launches ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan. The U.S. orders three — three! — aircraft carrier strike groups to the Western Pacific in response. Houthi rebels shoot rockets at U.S. ships off Yemen. Pacific nations go on a submarine-buying binge. India and China start constructing their first homemade aircraft carriers. Pirates return to the waters off East Africa.”

Military.com: Experts: US Must Project Cyber Warfare Capabilities to Deter Attacks — “The United States must demonstrate its cyber warfare capabilities to help deter sophisticated attacks from Russia and other adversaries while building strategies on a battlefield still misunderstood by commanders and senior officials, a panel of defense experts told lawmakers Thursday.”

TIME: Admiral Stavridis: 5 Reasons Trump Should Send More Troops to Afghanistan — “The Administration and the Congress should support a 5,000-troop increase, apportioned equally between US and the rest of NATO forces, hopefully with significant contributions from the UK, France, Germany, Poland, Turkey, Norway and Denmark — nations who have considerable experience in Afghanistan. While far less likely, we should also approach Canada and the Netherlands. Indeed, all of the NATO nations have good reason to be very forthcoming to prove to President Trump that NATO is the relevant organization he finally admitted it was a month or so ago. All these commitments must be in place as the nations head into President Trump’s first NATO summit.”

Read An Excerpt From “Sea Power”

Array

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s 2017 Commencement Speech At Williams College

[Youtube]

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