String of Pearls - Lance the Boil (Sri Lanka), 2020

Overview The String of Pearls is a geopolitical theory related to Chinese intentions in the Indian Ocean and Africa. It refers to the network of potential Chinese military and commercial facilities of trade which extend from the Chinese mainland to the Atlantic. The lines of communication run through several major maritime choke points such as the Strait of Mandeb, the Strait of Malacca, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Lombok Strait as well as other strategic maritime centers in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Maldives, and Somalia. The term as was first used in an internal US Department of Defense report, "Energy Futures in Asia." The term has never been used by Chinese government sources, but it is often used in Indian media. This is a scenario based off of a Command map,"String of Pearls Project" which includes naval bases: Chongjin Port (North Korea), Moresby Port (Papua New Guinea), Sihanoukville Port (Cambodia), Koh Lanta Port (Thailand) Sittwe Port (Myanmar), Dhaka Port (Bangladesh), Gwadar Port (Pakistan), Hambantota Port (Sri Lanka), Maldives, Seychelles, Lagos Port (Nigeria), Mombasa Port (Kenya), Dar es Salaam Port (Tanzania) Djibouti Port (Djibouti Luanda Port (Angola). The present scenario uses Hambantota Port (Sri Lanka). Please see the side briefing for details. Kevin Kinscherf kevinkin@comcast.net Deni Maggio