Glenn Diesen - Greater Eurasia Podcast Chas Freeman: Age of Wars as Freedom of Navigation Ends
12 snips
Dec 18, 2025 Chas Freeman, a retired diplomat and former U.S. ambassador, discusses the decline of maritime freedom and its potential to incite wars. He highlights the implications of U.S. retrenchment on global trade and the enforcement of international law. Freeman critiques actions labeled as piracy and the erosion of legal norms since WWII, particularly in the South China Sea. He warns of possible future conflicts between great powers over navigation rights and emphasizes the need for new rules regarding fisheries and pollution as tensions rise in maritime spaces.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Hegemon Decline Undermines Maritime Order
- The decline of a hegemon tends to unravel open systems and can trigger wars over maritime corridors.
- Amb. Chas Freeman links U.S. retreat and domestic collapse to rising coercive uses of naval power.
FON Ops Often Mask Legal Technicalities
- Freedom of navigation operations are often misapplied to contest coastal-state maritime claims.
- Freeman argues the South China Sea disputes are technical law-of-sea issues, not simple violations of navigation rights.
Law Of The Sea Is Breaking Down
- International law of the sea is eroding as states take unilateral coercive actions at sea.
- Freeman describes recent U.S. maritime seizures and killings as piracy-like breaches of law.