Originating from military operations, the term “strategic depth” basically defines the leeway from the front line to the rear. Whereas frontline refers to the battle space the rear consists of the heartland supporting industrial bases to prosecute operations and the city centres for the civilian population.
Where the distance is substantial between these two spaces one has deep strategic depth while the distance is inadequate then one has narrow strategic depth. When the depth is wide the opponent has to toil more to traverse the longer distance giving the defender time & space for his counter moves. By the same token narrow strategic depth allows an invader the privilege to attack first provided that such an offensive is pre-emptive, quick and stealthy that could deliver decapitation of the defender in lesser time.
The concept of strategic depth applies both in military affairs and in geoeconomics. My ambit is the latter. Here are my gleanings how geoeconomics applies strategic depth for both offensive & defensive operations:
Offensive operations
As already mentioned offensive ops must be quick, pre-emptive and to a great degree clothed in stealth. This is specially so, in the case where strategic depth favours the defender rather than the aggressor. Therefore an aggressor has to leverage speed over the space. America handled this one on Russia in style when she froze Russian assets in USA, shut SWIFT financial intermediation, brought up restrictions on insurance & freight support for Russian trade to & fro and finally indicting Vladimir Putin as war criminal.
Defensive operations
Russian defensive operations played out surprisingly in an unexpected manner. The geoeconomics umbilical cord connecting Western Europe with cheap Russian gas was scuppered in a gradual fashion tightening the screws in studied manner. Germany which was the engine of growth got the real beating. A heaven sent chance further exacerbated the reduction of natural gas flow when the Nord Pipeline was blasted. Russians took it calmly. Because Russia has the time, space and more than that patience to go through geoeconomics warfare where almost 50 countries were arraigned against her.
The heart of the matter is West Europe cannot do way with Russian gas that easily. In point of fact the leveraging factor for each value unit of gas input to the final manufactured value unit of output in Germany alone hovers around 300 times. It resulted at almost a quarter trillion Euro earning lost by Germany alone.
Besides, Russia set in motion counter moves based on geoeconomics restructuring. De-dollarization was chief amongst the manoeuvres followed by concerted effort of using Russia’s owned insurance & freight facilitation. Pegging Ruble to Gold, and diverting trade with Europe to Asia are measures validated the Russian prognosis that Russia is more than a gas station as John McCain once parodied but a nation with spread of resources in many areas far and wide across the Russian Federation.
Clearly geoeconomics strategic depth has handed Russia a major win!
Cheers!
Muthu Ashraff Rajulu
Business Strategist
Mobile: + 94 777 265677
E-mail: cosmicgems@gmail.com
Blog: Business Strategist
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