During the same time period that Halford Mackinder was developing his geopolitical theory specifically focusing on the strategic value of the Eurasian landmass, another individual was building his own theory on the strategic importance of water. In 1890, Alfred Thayer Mahan was a lecturer in naval history and the president of the U.S Naval War College when he published The Influence of Sea Power upon History, a dry but extensive exposé on the history and importance of naval power as a factor in the rise of the British Empire between 1660 and 1783.

Mahan’s book was hardly a page-turner but it had one very important argument … with land becoming scarce, the sea was the next frontier. His thesis was largely dependent on the value of international and maritime trade as a major factor in determining the wealth of nations. He argued that it was only natural that major European powers competed for control over maritime trade routes.

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