World Affairs & HistoryBook note
Seapower States
Description. A short description of a book from my bookshelf, not a review.
Lambert distinguishes between states that possess a navy and true seapower states, such as Athens, Carthage, Venice, the Dutch Republic and Britain, which made the sea central to their identity, politics and culture. He argues that these states were always small and vulnerable, and that their choice of a maritime identity was deliberate.
The argument is original and has been debated by other historians, particularly his claim that great continental powers such as Russia, China and the United States cannot be seapowers in this sense. It is a stimulating book for anyone thinking about maritime identity and strategy.
From the bookshelf · read 2021