Map prepared by Andrew Oh-Willeke with this web tool.
Piracy incidents in 2021 per the ICC-CCS.
The first map was prepared from a starting point of analyzing the missions that it does and does not make sense for the U.S. military to prepare for, and of the allies who could be relied upon to be part of coalitions in connection with those missions.
It also relates to the observation that many of the nations with the most powerful naval forces also have nuclear arms, which is a fact that would profoundly influence the character of naval warfare between these countries.
The second map shows global piracy hotspots, with the Gulf of Guinea near West Africa as the primary one, island Southeast Asia the second area of concern, and a mix of other places with less systemic issues.
Is India an ally of the US?
ReplyDeleteI equivocated about that one, but ultimately, I think that the answer is "yes" in any potential serious military conflict.
ReplyDeleteHmm. I wonder. India has charted a path between the great powers. I suppose if China is in the mix, India would favor US relationships, but the US is an inconstant partner. I hope for better relations, but that hope has been repeatedly dashed.
ReplyDelete@TomBridgeland
ReplyDeleteFair, and yet, India has a Western style political system, a mixed capitalist economy, is open to the outside world, and while predominantly Hindu is not yet theocratic. Fundamentally, it has much more in common with the West than either the Chinese or the Russian geopolitical factions. It does business with both of them (as the U.S. did prior to the Ukraine war), but it has closer ties to the West. I suspect as well, that Indian emigrants like tech hot shots, are much more likely to emigrate to the West and to the U.S. in particular, than to Russian allied or Chinese allied countries.