Abstract
What are the structural geostrategic factors that give its importance to the South Atlantic? The Brazilian geopolitician Carlos De Meira (Geopolítica del Cono Sur y la Antártida. Pleamar, Buenos Aires, 1990: 222) highlighted three elements: as a transportation route, as an area of military power projection and as a source of resources. In relation to the first point, Cape Horn is presented as a vital artery of communications given its alternative role in the transport of oil from the Persian Gulf to European markets, especially in the event of limitations in transport through the Suez Canal. The same would apply to the Strait of Magellan in case the Panama Canal suffers any serious inconvenience. Secondly, the strategic dominance of the United Kingdom in both the island triangle of St. Helena, Ascension (also used by the United States) and Tristan da Cunha and the complex of the Malvinas/Falklands Islands, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands claimed by Argentina, but under the colonial control of the United Kingdom. In addition, ‘Fortress Malvinas/Falklands’ is projected as an alternative.
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Notes
- 1.
Since the US does not recognize the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, it does not accept the 200 miles, let alone the last extension of 350 miles of the littoral countries. Thus, the U.S. defends the principle of freedom of navigation and arrogates to itself the right to conduct freedom of navigation in EEZs of the states in the region, such as the cases of the operations carried out in Mar Argentino in 2014 and 2015.
- 2.
The strategic goals are linked to preserving security, promoting stability, enabling prosperity and transforming SOUTHCOM itself to be a joint interagency organization (USSOUTHCOM Strategy 2016). The security concept goes hand in hand with protecting the region from “multidimensional” threats and radical populist regimes that interfere with the spread of republican values and introduce serious inconveniences to the democratic life of “freedom-friendly” countries.
- 3.
This system is mostly used on motorized vessels and generally larger than 12 meters in size.
- 4.
Vessels with strong lighting to attract schools of squid (squid) that are then caught with lines that have a kind of hook called potera.
- 5.
Vessel with hook lines that are connected to the main line generally used to catch tuna.
- 6.
Fishing vessel with trawl net.
- 7.
This modality refers to an illegal practice in Ghana whereby industrial trawlers transfer unwanted fish to small-scale fishermen, limiting the sale to local communities for profit.
- 8.
Official agency of the Russian Federation in charge of export and import of defense-related products, technologies and services.
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González Levaggi, A. (2023). The South Atlantic and the Global Strategic Competition. In: Great Power Competition in the Southern Oceans . Palgrave Studies in Maritime Politics and Security. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-36476-1_8
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