Economic Warfare and the Sea examines the relationship
between trade, maritime warfare, and strategic thought between the early modern
period and the late-twentieth century. Featuring contributions from renown
historians and rising scholars, this volume forwards an international perspective
upon the intersection of maritime history, strategy, and diplomacy. Core themes
include the role of ‘economic warfare’ in maritime strategic thought, prevalence
of economic competition below the threshold of open conflict, and the role
non-state actors have played in the prosecution of economic warfare.
Using
unique material from 18 different archives across six countries, this volume explores
critical moments in the development of economic warfare, naval technology, and
international law, including the Anglo-Dutch Wars, the French Revolutionary and
Napoleonic Wars, the First World War, and the Second World War. Distinct chapters also analyse the role
of economic warfare in theories of maritime strategy, and what the future holds
for the changing role of navies in the floating global economy of the
twenty-first century.