The Center for Indo-Pacific Affairs (CIPA) is pleased to share that its project on “Undersea Cables, Geoeconomics, and Security in the Indo-Pacific: Risks and Resilience” has been published as a special issue of Marine Policy, the world’s leading journal of ocean policy studies, and as part of CIPA’s own Indo-Pacific Outlook policy brief series.
Submerged deep beneath the ocean, networks of undersea cables form the critical infrastructure that enables the communication and connectivity upon which societies are built. Over 95 percent of global Internet traffic relies on these cables, and they transmit approximately $10 trillion in financial transactions data throughout the global economy daily. Their destruction could bring down the communications systems of multiple countries, and even minor damage could cause significant disruptions. Consequently, undersea cables exist at the intersection of important issues related to marine policy, including politics, economics, maritime security, international law, and governance. The Indo-Pacific has been the most active region for cable construction in recent years, and these networks have also been drawn into the dynamics of US-China strategic competition. On October 26–27, 2023, the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Center for Indo-Pacific Affairs convened a two-day conference in Honolulu, Hawai‘i in partnership with Keio University and Khalifa University with the support of a generous grant from the Japan Foundation.
Marine Policy Special Issue
The seven scholarly journal articles below emerged from this collaboration:
- Undersea Cables, Geoeconomics, and Security in the Indo-Pacific: Risks and Resilience by Kristi Govella (University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa / University of Oxford)
- Undersea Cable Security in the Indo‐Pacific: Enhancing the Quad’s Collaborative Approach by Brendon Cannon (Khalifa University)
- India’s Emerging Undersea Cable Landscape: Varied Indo-Pacific Partnerships to Boost Geopolitical Ambitions? by Jagannath Panda (Stockholm Center for South Asian and Indo-Pacific Affairs)
- The Protection of Submarine Cables in Southeast Asia: The Security Gap and Challenges and Opportunities for Regional Cooperation by Tara Maria Davenport (National University of Singapore)
- Cable Risk and Resilience in the Age of Uncrewed Undersea Vehicles (UUVs) by Ash Rossiter (Rabdan Academy)
- Undersea Cables: The Official Perspectives Expressed in the Pacific Region by Amanda H.A. Watson (Australian National University)
- Undersea Cables and the Extension of Empire: The Rise of Britain, Japan, and the United States and the Competition to Connect Hawai‘i by Motohiro Tsuchiya (Keio University) and Kristi Govella (University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa / University of Oxford)
Policy Reports:
Four additional policy briefs were also previously published by the Center for Indo-Pacific Affairs as part of its Indo-Pacific Outlook series:
- Improving Public-Private Partnerships on Undersea Cables: Lessons from Australia and Its Partners in the Indo-Pacific by Hayley Channer (United States Studies Centre)
- Maritime Security and Underwater Surveillance Technology: Lessons from the Cold War by Mizuho Kajiwara (Keio University)
- Improving Indo-Pacific Cable Security and Resilience: Investment, Licensing, and Repair by Justin Sherman (Global Cyber Strategies / Atlantic Council)
- Entangled: Southeast Asia and the Geopolitics of Undersea Cables by Elina Noor (Carnegie Endowment of International Peace)