Ruling the Waves

Ruling the Waves: The Political Economy of International Shipping by Alan W. Cafruny examines how control over the seas has shaped global power, commerce, and conflict from the seventeenth century to the late twentieth century. Shipping, Cafruny argues, is not only a basic infrastructure of trade but also a decisive factor in national development and military strength. Yet despite its centrality, international shipping has often been neglected in studies of global politics. This book traces the evolution of maritime regimes, from the Dutch defense of “freedom of the seas” through Britain’s Navigation Acts to the complex post–World War II order dominated by the United States. By placing shipping within the framework of international political economy, Cafruny shows how markets, technology, and state power intersect to create and destabilize global regimes.

At the core of the book is an analysis of the postwar Atlantic regime, in which the United States inherited and adapted institutions rooted in British practices, balancing systemic stability against growing national rivalries. Cafruny uses the theory of hegemonic stability to interpret the rise, crisis, and transformation of shipping regimes, but he revises the theory by stressing both the limits of American power and the role of domestic politics in shaping international outcomes. Through detailed case studies of bulk and liner shipping, flags of convenience, UNCTAD negotiations, and U.S.–European–Third World conflicts, he reveals how maritime disputes reflect deeper struggles over trade, sovereignty, and hegemony. Richly documented and theoretically ambitious, Ruling the Waves illuminates the ways shipping both mirrors and drives change in the global order, making it essential reading for scholars of international relations, political economy, and maritime history.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1987.