The Diplomat | Author
James R. Holmes
James R. Holmes is a defense analyst for The Diplomat and a professor of strategy at the U.S. Naval War College where he specializes in U.S., Chinese and Indian maritime strategy and U.S. diplomatic and military history.
He is co-author of Red Star over the Pacific, an Atlantic Monthly Best Foreign Affairs Book for 2010 and a former US Navy surface warfare officer.
The views voiced here are his alone.
June 14, 2013
Will the Peace Dividend Sink the US Fleet?
With the benefits of supremacy remote, and the costs of a navy immediate, it’s difficult to sustain a fleet in peacetime.
June 13, 2013
Beware the "Thucydides Trap" Trap
Why the U.S. and China aren’t necessarily Athens and Sparta or Britain and Germany before WWI.
June 10, 2013
LCS: The US Navy's High-Value Skirmisher
Littoral Combat Ships are joining the fleet whether critics like it or not. Here’s how to use them.
June 06, 2013
No, Mil-to-Mil Ties Can’t Make the US & China Play Nice
Mil-to-mil ties can help on the margins, but can’t solve the fundamental clash of visions between the U.S. and China.
June 05, 2013
China’s Doublethink on the Law of the Sea
China is comfortable with the idea that the law of the sea is sacrosanct, and that Beijing can carve out a zone of exception for itself.
June 03, 2013
When Hollywood Gets Seapower Right
The Naval Diplomat recounts three enduring lessons from one of his favorite films, Master and Commander.
June 01, 2013
Anthony Bourdain's ‘No Reservations’ Nuclear Deterrence
What do Denis Leary, Anthony Bourdain, Henry Kissinger, and Thomas Schelling have in common? They understand how to deter.
May 29, 2013
George P. Brady: A Story of Valor
The Naval Diplomat recounts the story of a veteran and Medal of Honor recipient from the Spanish-American War.
May 24, 2013
Eurasia Is for Hugging
With the right cartography, the pivot isn’t the U.S. abandoning Europe for Asia but hugging Eurasia.
May 23, 2013
Airsea Battle With Chinese Characteristics
Beijing’s approach to seapower is remarkably similar to the U.S. Navy in the age of Mahan and Roosevelt.
May 22, 2013
The U.S. Army’s Anti-Access Strategy
The Army does have a role in the pivot. Will bureaucratic inertia get in the way?
May 20, 2013
The Geopolitics of Hawaii
They aren’t just about sun, fun, and ukuleles. The islands also hold great strategic importance.