DOCSLIB.ORG

Sea-Power in Greek Thought Author(S): Arnaldo Momigliano Source: the Classical Review, Vol

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Sea-Power in Greek Thought Author(S): Arnaldo Momigliano Source: the Classical Review, Vol Sea-Power in Greek Thought Author(s): Arnaldo Momigliano Source: The Classical Review, Vol. 58, No. 1 (May, 1944), pp. 1-7 Published by: Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Classical Association Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/701960 Accessed: 06/09/2010 12:25 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=cup. Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transmission. JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Cambridge University Press and The Classical Association are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Classical Review. http://www.jstor.org THE CLASSICALREVIEW MAY 1944 SEA-POWER IN GREEK THOUGHT As far as I know, the history of the idea According to him Polycrates was the of thalassocracy in Greek thought has first who conceived the design of gain- never been written-a surprising fact. ing the empire of the sea, 'unless it were Neither can I deal with it here ade- Minos the Cnossian, and those (if there quately. But an outline from Hero- were any such) who had the mastery of dotus to the Greek source on which the Aegean at an earlier time' (iii. 122). Cicero drew may well be attempted for A period of thalassocracy is attributed the use of future students.' also to Aegina (v. 83). In the alleged I. Reckoning power in terms of debate at Gelo's court, where the ships is already a feature of the Homeric Spartan and Athenian ambassadorsare Catalogue-not an obvious thing (apart supposed to have come for help (vii. from the position of the Catalogue in 157 ff.), Gelo asks for the supreme com- the Iliad), on which I should like to mand, but would remain content with hear more from Homeric scholars.z the command of the fleet. The Athen- The Odysseygives an account of a naval ians refuse it indignantly: if the Spar- powerin its descriptionof the Phaea- tans do not want to have it, the cians: they delight in ships rather than Athenians, who have 'raised up a navy in war, their fault is isolation (not greater than that of any other Greek promiscuity in their foreign relations, people', are the only ones entitled to the usual later criticism of maritime the succession. This is a good piece of cities). But the poet is somewhat Athenian retrospective propaganda of politicizing fairyland. His tale, al- the time of the Delian League (cf. vii. though largely utilized by philosophers 139 and Aesch. Pers. 728).' I leave and moralists for contrasting purposes, aside the list of thalassocracies which did not influence the later discussion Eusebius' Chronikonderived from Dio- on sea-power to a noticeable extent. dorus (Book VII). Some modern scho- Thalassocracy, as is well known, be- lars have attributed it to the labours comes a clear-cut idea in Herodotus. of an unknown Greek historian of the fifth and, indeed, SThe learned friends who century B.c., any helped my paper research of that type would fit the fifth 'Terra marique' (ourn. Rom. Stud. xxxii, 1942, 53) have contributedto this sketch also (I add the century. But I do not see sufficient names of A. W. Gomme, P. Treves, and A. N. evidence that the list, as we have it, is Sherwin-White);but they do not necessarilyshare earlier than Diodorus' contemporary my belief that a synthetic survey, however bad, Castor of Rhodes, whom we know to must precede analytic study, however good. Herodotus is quoted in Rawlinson's translation, have composed a treatise on thalas- Thucydides in Jowett's, Isocrates in G. Norlin's socracies. That Castor and, in general, (Loeb Library), Plato's Laws in A. E. Taylor's the scholars of the Alexandrian tradi- M. (J. Dent). tion were able to utilize fifth-century 2 I. ii. 614 distinguishessea-power from land- studies on that theme Hero- power. F. Jacoby explained 'Die Einschaltung (besides des Schiffkatalogsin die Ilias' in Sitz. Preuss. Ak. dotus and Thucydides) is possible, but 1932, 572 ff., but the historical interpretation of the not yet supported by proofs.Z catalogue has hardly progressed since B. Niese (1873)and E. Rohde, KI. Schriften,i. io7 (=Rh. I The latest discussion is by P. Treves, Class. Museum, xxxvi, 1881,570). W. Leaf, Homerand Philol. xxxvi, 1941, 321; but I am not certain, as History, 1915,though certainly right versus T. W. Trevesis, that the embassyto Gelois not historical. Allen, J.H.S. xxx, 1910, 292 (an article expanded, Cf. F. Jacoby, P.-W., Suppl. ii, s.v. 'Herodotus', but not improved, in his book of I192I), is again too 453-4. conjectural. At the moment non liquet is the 2 For the fifth-centuryorigin of the Eusebian wisest conclusion. Cf. J. L. Myres, Who werethe list see especially J. L. Myres,J.H.S. xxvi, 19o6, Greeks? 1930, 312. 84; xxvii, 1907, 123, and A. R. Burn, ib. 4598.15 2 THE CLASSICAL REVIEW In Athens facts had a way of becom- mocracy easy. Clearly the author is an ing spiritual problems; and Athenian oligarchicpessimist who despisesAthen- thalassocracy itself underwent search- ian democracy, but recognizes its con- ing analysis both in its presuppositions sistency and strength. He despairs of and its effects.' The controversy did a change, although he does not con- not remain confined to Athens. The sider it impossible, Athens not being pamphlet of Stesimbrotus of Thasos an island: if she were, her thalassocracy On Themistocles,Thucydides, and Peri- would be unbreakable. The author says cles (written after 430 B.C.) was in much less than he thinks, but obviously effect an attack on Athenian sea-power does not believe sea-power compatible and on Themistocles as a corrupter of with decent government. We shall the Athenian people (Plut. Themist. 4). find this conclusion explicit in Iso- It is no longer possible to say how much crates, De Pace. On this, as on many Stesimbrotus depended on contem- topics, Isocrates seems to derive his porary Athenian discussions. The argument from the anti-democratic Pseudo-Xenophontean Constitution of tradition of the fifth century. Athens, which I date between 431 and II. It would be difficult to prove that 425 B.c., with a slight preference for the Pericles' last speech in Thucydides years 431-430, offers more solid ground.z (ii. 60-4) is directed against the Pseudo- The writer affirmsthe relation between Xenophontean pamphlet, but probably sea-powerand democracy: as the power Thucydides knew it,' and certainly the of Athens depends on the sea, sailors set of arguments which Pericles takes are inevitably the masters of Athens. for granted, and sweepingly turns to He illustrates also the strategic advan- a glorification of the current war, tages of sea-power over land-power in would not have been repudiated by the forming and holding an empire: mili- oligarchic writer. Sea-poweris at stake tary campaigns can be organized, in this war. 'You think that your em- enemy trade can be hampered, hostile pire is confined to your allies, but I say coalitions can be forestalled much more that of the two divisions of the world easily by a naval than by a land power. accessible to man, the land and the Above all he knows that sea-power sea, there is one of which you are means wealth; and wealth makes de- absolute masters, and have, or may have, the dominion to any extent which This Contra: W. Rh. Mus. you please.' sea-power xlvii, 1927, 165. Aly, lxvi, implies tyranny, which it may seem 1911, 585; cf. R. Helm, Hermes, lxi, 1926, 241; Kubitschek,P.-W., s.v. 'Kastor', 2355. Relevant wrong to have assumed, but which it also are Jacoby, FGrH ii D, p. 816; G. Murray, is certainly dangerous to let go--and The Rise of the Greek Epic, 3rd ed., 1924, 322-6, inglorious, because hatred does not and H. Winckler, Der alte Orient, vii, 1905, 20. last long, but 'besides the immediate Castor's work is mentioned by Suidas (Jacoby, of the renown FGrH 250 T i). splendour great actions, I First direct evidence in Aeschylus,Pers. 728, of them endures for ever in men's of 472 B.C. memories'. The speech, clearly written 2 I think that the pamphlet is later than the or rewritten after the end of the first Spartan invasion of Attica and earlier than does not one Brasidas'expedition to Thraceand very probably Peloponnesian War, deny than Aristophanes'Knights; also it is easier to of the main contentions of the oli- understandif it is earlier than the great plague, garchic analysis of Athenian power: although (as H. T. Wade-Gerypoints out to me) the Athenian is a the is not to be democracy tyranny a mention of plague expected.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • THE NATURE of the THALASSOCRACIES of the SIXTH-CENTURY B. C. by CATHALEEN CLAIRE FINNEGAN B.A., University of British Columbia
    THE NATURE OF THE THALASSOCRACIES OF THE SIXTH-CENTURY B. C. by CATHALEEN CLAIRE FINNEGAN B.A., University of British Columbia, 1973 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in the Department of CLASSICS We accept this thesis as conforming to the required standard THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA October, 1975 In presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of British Columbia, I agree that the Library shall make it freely available for reference and study. I further agree that permission for extensive copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the Head of my Department or by his representatives. It is understood that copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my writ ten pe rm i ss ion . Department of plassips. The University of British Columbia 2075 Wesbrook Place Vancouver, Canada V6T 1W5 Date October. 197 5. ~t A ~ A A P. r~ ii The Nature of the Thalassocracies of the Sixth-Century B. C. ABSTRACT The purpose of this thesis is to study the nature and extent of the sixth century thalassocracies through the available ancient evidence, particularly the writings of Herodotus and Thucydides. In Chapter One the evidence for their existence is established and suggested dates are provided. Chapter Two is a study of their naval aspects and Chapter Three of their commercial aspects. This study leads to the conclusion that these thalassocracies were unaggressive mercantile states, with the exception of Samos during Polycrates' reign.
    [Show full text]
  • Diachronic Homer and a Cretan Odyssey
    Oral Tradition, 31/1 (2017):3-50 Diachronic Homer and a Cretan Odyssey Gregory Nagy Introduction I explore here the kaleidoscopic world of Homer and Homeric poetry from a diachronic perspective, combining it with a synchronic perspective. The terms synchronic and diachronic, as I use them here, come from linguistics.1 When linguists use the word synchronic, they are thinking of a given structure as it exists in a given time and space; when they use diachronic, they are thinking of that structure as it evolves through time.2 From a diachronic perspective, the structure that we know as Homeric poetry can be viewed, I argue, as an evolving medium. But there is more to it. When you look at Homeric poetry from a diachronic perspective, you will see not only an evolving medium of oral poetry. You will see also a medium that actually views itself diachronically. In other words, Homeric poetry demonstrates aspects of its own evolution. A case in point is “the Cretan Odyssey”—or, better, “a Cretan Odyssey”—as reflected in the “lying tales” of Odysseus in the Odyssey. These tales, as we will see, give the medium an opportunity to open windows into an Odyssey that is otherwise unknown. In the alternative universe of this “Cretan Odyssey,” the adventures of Odysseus take place in the exotic context of Minoan-Mycenaean civilization. Part 1: Minoan-Mycenaean Civilization and Memories of a Sea-Empire3 Introduction From the start, I say “Minoan-Mycenaean civilization,” not “Minoan” and “Mycenaean” separately. This is because elements of Minoan civilization become eventually infused with elements we find in Mycenaean civilization.
    [Show full text]
  • Sample File Heavily on Patriotism and National Identity
    Empire Builder Kit Preface ............................................................ 2 Government Type Credits & Legal ................................................ 2 An empire has it rulers. The type of ruler can How to Use ..................................................... 2 often determine the character of a nation. Are Government Types ......................................... 3 they a democratic society that follows the will Simple Ruler Type ....................................... 3 of the people, or are they ruled by a harsh dictator who demand everyone caters to their Expanded Ruler Type .................................. 4 every whim. They could even be ruled by a Also Available ................................................ 10 group of industrialists whose main goal is the acquisition of wealth. Coming Soon ................................................. 10 This part of the Empire Builder kit outlines some of the more common, and not so common, types of ruler or government your empire or country may possess. Although designed with fantasy settings in mind, most of the entries can be used in a sci-fi or other genre of story or game. There are two tables in this publication. One for simple and quick governments and A small disclaimer – A random generator will another that is expanded. Use the first table never be as good as your imagination. Use for when you want a common government this to jump start your own ideas or when you type or a broad description, such as need to fill in the blank. democracy or monarchy. Use the second/expanded table for when you want something that is rare or you want more Sample details,file such as what type of democracy etc. If you need to randomly decide between the two tables, then roll a d20. If you get 1 – 18 then use the simple table, otherwise use the expanded one.
    [Show full text]
  • Athenian Democratic Ideology
    Athenian Democratic Ideology We aim to bring together scholars interested in the rhetorical devices, media, and techniques used to promote or attack political ideologies or achieve political agendas during fifth- and fourth-century BCE Athens. A senior scholar with expertise in this area has agreed to preside over the panel and facilitate discussion. “Imperial Society and Its Discontents” investigates challenges to an important aspect of Athenian imperial ideology, namely pride in the fleet’s ability to keep Athens fed and the empire secure during the so-called First Peloponnesian War and the Peloponnesian War proper. The author takes on Ober’s (1998) minimizing of the role the empire played in enabling the democracy’s existence. The author focuses on Herodotus’ Aces River vignette (Book 3), in which the Persians employ heavy-handed imperial methods to control water resources. Given the Athenians’ adoption of forms of oriental despotism in their own imperial practices (Raaflaub 2009), Herodotus plays the role of ‘tragic warner,’ intending that this story serve as a negative commentary on Athenian imperialism. Moving from the empire to the dêmos, “The Importance of Being Honest: Truth in the Attic Courtroom” examines whether legal proceedings in Athens were “honor games” (Humphreys 1985; Osborne 1985) or truly legitimate legal proceedings (Harris 2005). The author argues that both assertions are correct, because while honor games were being played, the truth of the charges still was of utmost importance. Those playing “honor games” had to keep to the letter of the law, as evidence from Athenian oratory demonstrates. The prosecutor’s honesty was a crucial part of these legal proceedings, and any honor rhetoric went far beyond mere status-seeking.
    [Show full text]
  • Maritime Governance: How State Capacity Impacts Piracy and Sea Lane Security
    W&M ScholarWorks Undergraduate Honors Theses Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects 4-2018 Maritime Governance: How State Capacity Impacts Piracy and Sea Lane Security Yuito Ishikawa Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses Part of the Ancient History, Greek and Roman through Late Antiquity Commons, Asian History Commons, Criminology and Criminal Justice Commons, Defense and Security Studies Commons, European History Commons, International Relations Commons, Military History Commons, and the Transportation Commons Recommended Citation Ishikawa, Yuito, "Maritime Governance: How State Capacity Impacts Piracy and Sea Lane Security" (2018). Undergraduate Honors Theses. Paper 1161. https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/1161 This Honors Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects at W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Undergraduate Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Ishikawa ii Abstract Maritime piracy varies from place to place and from age to age. This thesis aims to explain the variation of piracy across time and space by exploring the capability of establishing maritime governance against piracy. The spatial variation in the number of piratical attacks is explained by calculating the state capacity for governing the surrounding seas called Sea Power Index. The thesis argues that pirates particularly target waters near a state with “medium” levels of sea power because such states are not capable of enforcing strict regulations on piracy but can provide enough infrastructure and economy for pirates to have a profitable “business.” The variation in the frequency of piratical attacks across time is determined by the capability of the hegemonic powers in that time period.
    [Show full text]
  • Sacred Geography, Nationhood and Perennial Traditionalism in Alexander Dugin's Neo-Eurasianist Philosophy
    Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports 2015 Against the Thalassocracy: Sacred Geography, Nationhood and Perennial Traditionalism in Alexander Dugin's Neo-Eurasianist Philosophy Jonathan Rushbrook Follow this and additional works at: https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd Recommended Citation Rushbrook, Jonathan, "Against the Thalassocracy: Sacred Geography, Nationhood and Perennial Traditionalism in Alexander Dugin's Neo-Eurasianist Philosophy" (2015). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 6542. https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/6542 This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by the The Research Repository @ WVU with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you must obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in WVU Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports collection by an authorized administrator of The Research Repository @ WVU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Against the Thalassocracy: Sacred Geography, Nationhood and Perennial Traditionalism in Alexander Dugin’s Neo-Eurasianist Philosophy Jonathan Rushbrook Thesis submitted to the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University in partial
    [Show full text]
  • “The Sherden in His Majesty's Captivity”: a Comparative Look At
    1 “The Sherden in His Majesty’s Captivity”: A Comparative Look at the Mercenaries of New Kingdom Egypt Jordan Snowden Rhodes College Honors History Word Count (including citations and bibliography): 38098 Introduction----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2 Chapter 1: How They Were Recruited---------------------------------------------------------------------6 Chapter 2: How They Fought------------------------------------------------------------------------------36 Chapter 3: How They Were Paid and Settled------------------------------------------------------------80 Conclusion: How They Were Integrated----------------------------------------------------------------103 Bibliography------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------125 2 Introduction Mercenary troops have been used by numerous states throughout history to supplement their native armies with skilled foreign soldiers – Nepali Gurkhas have served with distinction in the armies of India and the United Kingdom for well over a century, Hessians fought for Great Britain during the American Revolution, and even the Roman Empire supplemented its legions with foreign “auxiliary” units. Perhaps the oldest known use of mercenaries dates to the New Kingdom of ancient Egypt (1550-1069 BCE). New Kingdom Egypt was a powerful military empire that had conquered large parts of Syria, all of Palestine, and most of Nubia (today northern Sudan). Egyptian pharaohs of this period were truly
    [Show full text]
  • The Etruscan Thalassocracy
    The Etruscan Thalassocracy: Exploring Maritime Motifs and Dionysian Imagery in Etruscan Tomb Painting and on Imported Greek Pottery Jesse B. Duncan Undergraduate Honors Thesis Department of Art History University of Colorado | Boulder Date of Defense April 1st, 2020 Thesis Advisor Dr. Diane Conlin | Classics Committee Members Dr. Robert Nauman | Honors Chair | Art History Dr. Fernando Loffredo | Art History Dr. Elspeth Dusinberre | Classics 1 Dedicated To Professor Elspeth Dusinberre with my deepest gratitude to push me to commence this academic journey without your compassion this thesis would have never came to fruition Professor Diane Conlin with my utmost admiration and gratitude for supporting me along this extensive and engaging project I thank you My sweetest sunflower Jezzlynn Rae may your light shine on continuing to spread happiness and joy especially during troubling times 2 Abstract The Etruscans were an ancient Mediterranean culture who were and still are remembered as a thalassocracy, a dominant maritime force. However, their visual identity as represented in their art did not emphasize their naval dominance through traditional nautical imagery. A survey of Etruscan art reveals that the only surviving depiction of ship is from an Etruscan tomb, the Tomb of the Ship, and leads to the central question of this thesis: why are there so few images of ships in the art of a culture known for its thalassocracy? After an analysis of the Homeric myth of the Etruscan pirates capturing Dionysus, as well as Greek-made pottery found in Etruria along with Etruscan tomb frescos, several motifs related to both marine life and activities occur alongside repetitive Dionysian imagery.
    [Show full text]
  • PICK a GOVERNMENT :; a Hybrid
    141 1 old word PICK A GOVERNMENT :; a hybrid noun's en­ ective, and ljeetive; I lich I can PAUL HELLWEG es sion a Northrid~e, California :3 in 1927 =:inc innatus , Living in a democracy, we are pe riodically cur sed ( ble s s ed?) with Trocenia' election year mania. Occas ionally, it all seems to amount to naught, Atlas Index; and people have been heard to ask: II Isn' t there another way?" Of such as Tro­ course there is. Different types of qovernment abound. More than n) both be­ eighty varieties are presented below. As you read through them, per­ ler than a haps youlll find one that sounds a little better than democracy. On the has any other hand, a look at these alternatives might be enough to renew every­ l? one's faith in the electoral process. thousands For the sake of this discussion, I have limited consideration to s Borg­ forms of gove rnment ending in - archy (G reek II arkhos" = rule r) and \.CEINORST. -ocracy (Greek "kratos" = strength, power). Admirers of dynasti­ orne kind of c ism, feudali sm, tr ibalism, and related gove rnments needn I t fear -­ ords, names there are regime s here bound to please anyone. To begin with, my personal favorite is LOGOCRACY, II a community or system of govern­ ment in which words are the ruling power" (OED). ::es lat By The Numbe r s es Ito Everyone knows that a monarchy is a state headed by a single rule r. 'on Lesser- known appellations referring to a specific number of leaders ian are listed here: ,In te r AUTOCRACY, MONOCRACY one ruler .te BIARCHY, DIARCHY (DYARCHY), DUARCHY two rulers :ic TRIARCHY three rulers ne TETRADARCHY (TETRARCHY) four rulers :an PENTA RCHY five ruler s in HEPTARCHY, SEPTARCHY seven rulers ns OCTARCHY ei~ht rulers ns DECARCHY (DEKARCHY, DECADARCHY) ten rulers DODECARCHY twelve rulers ~where? HECATONTARCHY (HECATONARCHY) one hundred rulers 1 scientific lude phras­ Oddly, the term HEXARCHY refers to a group of six states, not a gov­ was so cer­ ernment of six leaders.
    [Show full text]
  • Geopolitical Studies (List of State Exams Questions Valid Since 2019/2020) Geopolitical Theories
    Geopolitical Studies (list of state exams questions valid since 2019/2020) Geopolitical Theories 1. Founding fathers of geopolitics: F. Ratzel, R. Kjellén and K. Haushofer. Development of German school of geopolitics. Tellurocracy 2. Founding fathers of geopolitics: A. T. Mahan. Power projection. Thalassocracy 3. Founding fathers of geopolitics: H. J. Mackinder. Power projection and comparison of the Pivot and Heartland theories 4. Founding fathers of geopolitics: N. J. Spykman. From Heartland to Rimland. Politics of Containment 5. Founding fathers of geopolitics: Douhet and de Seversky. Concepts and limits of air power 6. Founding fathers of geopolitics: Dolman and Astropolitik. 7. Critical geopolitics: foundations, authors, basic concepts, the role of maps and geography 8. Connections and geopolitics: connectography, teichopolitics, geoeconomics 9. Evolutionary approach: army and state-building, historical approach to the development of the state system, neomedievalism, world-system analysis 10. Grand debates in the IR 11. Realism as a tradition of international thought 12. Liberal theories of IR 13. Theoretical explanations of regional integration (the role of hegemon). History and waves of political and economic regionalism. Examples of sub-regional, regional, inter-regional, global, and universal organizations (political, economic, military, cultural). 14. The institution of sovereign state as the organizing principle of the political space: definition criteria (M. I. Glassner), situations (not) derogating from sovereignty (J. Crawford) 15. Effectiveness of state, internal sovereignty and constitutional independence (J. Crawford), de facto and de jure statehood (R. H. Jackson) 16. Recognition of state, the declaratory and constitutive theories of recognition, conditional recognition, policy of non-recognition, Tobar, Estrada, Stimson doctrines 17. Internal vs.
    [Show full text]
  • Portuguese Maritime Meddling in the Indian Ocean
    Portuguese Maritime Meddling In the Indian Ocean MICHAEL HONIG The Arab ship burned brightly on the Indian Sea. A pillar of flames leapt from the water. A funeral was underway. But this was not a noble burial like the Vikings of yore. Portuguese adventurers seeking to establish a trade route and eager for plunder boarded this merchant vessel and ravaged it thoroughly. They then locked the Arabs, many women and children, below the deck and burnt it whole. Such were the methods of the Portuguese. They did not come in peace but in pursuit of prosperity, by any means necessary. Born in a Reconquista, militaristic culture, the Portuguese on the edge of the European continent took to the seas on the eve of the 16th century embarking on an odyssey which by century’s end would result in a far-flung thalassocracy. This maritime empire would dot the coasts of Africa and India and would possess certain Southeast Asian posts. This maritime endeavor represented Europe’s first direct forays into Asian maritime trade. It sought to bypass the middlemen Muslim traders of the continent. The purpose of this essay is to explore in no uncertain terms how the Portuguese managed to achieve this awesome feat. It is not an attempt to recreate linearly all the details of expansion such as legal promulgations establishing the Estado da India. Instead it will illustrate through key details and broad and consistent themes a central question. The essential question is: did military tactics and engineering associated with the military revolution as addressed by Geoffrey Parker in his seminal work The Military Revolution 1500-1800 account for Portugal’s ability to loudly insert itself into the bustling Indian Ocean trade; or was it an absence of power or neglectful apathy, referred to by some as maritime exceptionalism, which permitted Portuguese colonial polity? Special emphasis will be placed on its establishment and early years roughly from 1500-1550.
    [Show full text]
  • The Politics of Russian Post-Soviet Identity: Geopolitics, Eurasianism, and Beyond
    THE POLITICS OF RUSSIAN POST-SOVIET IDENTITY: GEOPOLITICS, EURASIANISM, AND BEYOND By Natalia Morozova Submitted to Central European University Department of International Relations and European Studies In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Supervisor: Prof. Alexander Astrov (Word count 67,228) Budapest, Hungary August 15, 2011 Abstract This dissertation analyzes the Russian post-Soviet foreign policy debate from the point of view of the emergence of two interrelated and mutually reinforcing discourses – discourse on „geopolitics‟ and discourse on „Eurasianism‟. Instead of equating „geopolitics‟ with the post-1993 emphasis on great power competition for territorial control and dismissing „Eurasianism‟ as strategically employed myth-making the way most of the existing literature does, this dissertation views the „geopolitics‟/‟Eurasianism‟ constellation through the prism of the link between Russia‟s post-Soviet foreign policy and its evolving political identity. The discussion is placed within the poststructuralist theoretical framework that stresses identity- constitutive effects of foreign policy discourses and, more broadly, attempts to problematize the sedimentation of the social with the help of the political. In particular, different versions of the „geopolitics‟/‟Eurasianism‟ constellation are analyzed from the point of view of how well they address the problem of European hegemony in the Russian political discourse and conceptualize post-Soviet Russia‟s political subjectivity. The study thus draws a comparison between two discourses on „geopolitics‟/‟Eurasianism‟ – the „pragmatic‟ nationalist discourse advocated by Russian foreign-policy makers, and „civilizational‟ geopolitical discourse critical of the official coupling of „geopolitics‟ and „Eurasianism‟. Instead of reducing the „pragmatic‟ nationalist discourse to instrumentalist foreign policy making, it is conceptualized in terms of its contribution to the process of Russian post-Soviet identity construction.
    [Show full text]