Undersea data cables belong on the same strategic map as visible trade routes because much modern communication crosses the sea floor. Services hosted in distant countries depend on physical links that are largely invisible to their users. British cable cutting in both world wars established precedents for attacking this infrastructure. The legal and strategic issue concerns what behaviour becomes thinkable and repeatable in a crisis.
Notable Point · 19:07-21:20
Undersea cables are maritime-security infrastructure
Undersea data cables share the strategic exposure of shipping routes, and wartime cable cutting shows how a precedent can outlast the conflict that created it.