China, Russia, and the Challenge to the Global Commons

During the second half of the twentieth century, the USA enjoyed unfettered freedom to use the global commons – those domains that remain outside the territory of any single nation state but provide the means for connecting much of the world. The most prominent of these realms are the world's oceans (still the main thoroughfare for trading goods between countries), outer space (the domain used by most long‐distance communications and broadcast media), and the Internet (increasingly the most effective media for storing and moving large quantities of information great distances at low cost). Billions of people access these domains each day, but they are especially important for commercial and military actors. China and Russia have launched major campaigns to contest the American presence in the global commons. These initiatives include challenging US surveillance operations in international waters, trying to constrain American military access to outer space, and enhancing their capacity to disrupt US use of the Internet. Overcoming Chinese and Russian anti‐access efforts are essential for preserving the security of the USA and its allies. In particular, as the US military has reduced its forward bases in Japan, South Korea, and other Asia–Pacific countries, it has become increasingly dependent on the global commons to rapidly deploy forces based in the USA to potential conflict regions. A failure to overcome anti‐access threats could lead Asia–Pacific countries to call into question US security guarantees.