This course surveys US naval history from its European origins to the present with emphasis on major developments and the geopolitical forces shaping these developments. Also included is discussion of the theories and writings of naval historian and strategist Alfred Thayer Mahan. The course will finish by covering present day concerns in seapower and maritime affairs including the economic and political issues of merchant marine commerce, the law of the sea, the navy and merchant marine of the former Soviet Union (FSU), and a comparison of US and FSU maritime strategies to include the rise and decline of the Soviet Navy.
