GEOSTRATEGY AND NAVAL PORT SYSTEMS - FRAMEWORKS FOR ANALYSIS

Strategic and port studies have largely ignored the importance of nava l port systems, even though these systems are (1) essential to the pur suit of strategy at sea and (2) influenced fundamentally by geostrateg ic decision-making. It is proposed that effective research at the inte rface between geostrategy and naval port systems can be promoted by re ference to five interrelated frameworks: strategic, technological, eco nomic, urban and social, The relevance of these is demonstrated and it is argued that their combined effect is to reveal that the geostrateg y-port system interface is considerably more complex and challenging t han past research has acknowledged, It is on this basis that extensive further research is justified. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.