Segundo Storni, the sea and the de-spatialization of politics

Abstract

A landmark work of Argentinian geopolitics is Intereses argentinos en el mar, by Vice-Admiral Segundo Storni. Published in 1916, the author defends the idea that, based on the country’s insularity, the sea (and not the land) shall be the element that orients Argentina’s vision of the world. Having had a long-lasting influence on naval thought, this thesis has not been rebutted by anyone except for General Guglialmelli. The aim of this work is to offer a critical revision of Storni’s main thesis. Almost 100 years after its publication, its re-reading becomes all the more important for the author’s standpoint has implications that need to be further examined ―the most important amongst them being the radicalization of the de-spatialization of politics and the de-localization of Argentina vis-à-vis the rest of the continent―.