Undersea War: Who Controls the Cables That Power the Global Economy?
The global economy runs on infrastructure most of us will never see. Beneath the world's oceans lies a vast network of undersea cables and pipelines carrying internet traffic, financial transactions, energy, and electricity. But what happens when that infrastructure becomes a target of geopolitical conflict? In this episode of The Power Current, host Chris Berry welcomes Elisabeth Braw, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and author of Undersea War: The Battle to Control the Cables and Pipelines That Connect Our World . Braw explains why the seabed is emerging as a new geopolitical battleground, where sabotage, espionage, economic competition, and national security increasingly collide. The conversation explores mysterious cable disruptions in the Baltic Sea, the Nord Stream sabotage investigation, the growing technological rivalry between the United States and China, and the possibility of an emerging "Iron Curtain" beneath the oceans. They also examine why no single country or international organization is responsible for protecting this critical infrastructure, how NATO is responding with new underwater surveillance technologies, and what the conflict involving Iran and the Strait of Hormuz could mean for the future of global connectivity.
