The Foreign Service Journal, May 2011

78 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / M A Y 2 0 1 1 Southeast Asia — all are linked histor- ically by the monsoon and the ocean waves. And today, they are linked even more closely. The U.S. Navy still maintains the global shipping lanes, but for how much longer? While the number of U.S. ships in service declines each year as a percentage of the world’s naval fleet, the role of Asian powers only grows greater. Consider two familiar topics much in the news lately: oil shipments and piracy. Both of them are linked to the Indian Ocean and its littoral. For Bei- jing, on track to become the world’s top energy consumer, the oil is going to come from the Middle East and Africa via Southeast Asia. Already it is pursu- ing port projects in Gwadar, Pakistan; Hambantota, Sri Lanka; and Chit- tagong, Bangladesh. And it is planning canals, rail transfers and roads across the Malaysian and Thai peninsulas. And on the piracy front, just about every country with any sort of navy is currently patrolling off the coast of So- malia (and much further abroad) to en- sure commerce can continue. Consequently, the developed world now cares in a brand-new way about B O O K S The developed world now cares in a brand-new way about what is happening in the Indian Ocean. L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR Printed letters may be edited for space. E-mail to fsjedit@afsa.org or mail to FSJ, 2101 E Street NW, Washington DC 20037. E-C LASSIFIEDS In AFSA News : www.afsa.org/afsa_news.aspx M EMBERSHIP For changes of address and other questions about AFSA membership, e-mail member@afsa.org. A DVERTISING For details about placing either a display or classifed ad, e-mail fsjads@afsa.org, classifieds@afsa.org. C OPYRIGHTS & R EPRINTS To obtain permission to reproduce FSJ material, e-mail fsjedit@afsa.org. FSJ O NLINE www.afsa.org/foreign_ service_journal.aspx Q UESTIONS ? Not sure whom to contact? FSJ FasTrax