Navies in northern waters, 1721-2000

About this book

"Navies in Northern Waters, 1721-2000 is a collection of articles covering the role played by the secondary navies of the north European powers and the United States; within the maritime balance of power. The contributions covering the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries focus on these relations with each other as they sought to create a counterweight to that of the dominant naval power, Britain. The conflict of interests between the dominant and the weaker powers was most evident in their different attitudes towards maritime law. The relationship between strategy and the evolution of the laws of war at sea is at the heart of this book. Individual contributions discuss these subjects with regard to the Dutch, Danish and Swedish navies, which remained relatively weak. Others cover the French, US and Prussian (later German) navies, which move from relative weakness towards a position from which they challenged Britain's supremacy." "The inter-war years are treated from the perspectives of international disarmament efforts within the framework of collective security, and the subsequent naval rivalry in the Baltic area in the years leading up to the Second World War. For the post-1945 period, the contributions concentrate on superpower rivalry in northern waters during the Cold War, the changing aspects of security policy since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the particular challenges facing small coastal states policing extensive waters of increasing economic importance. Norway's case is used to illustrate the operational challenges posed by changing missions and the extensive new tasks related to marine and seabed resource management as defined by international law."--Jacket.