Joseph V. Micallef is a best-selling military history and world affairs author, and keynote speaker. Follow him on Twitter @JosephVMicallef. At first glance, the South and East China Seas, or China Seas, and the Caribbean Sea seem to have little in common.Advertisement Situated on opposite ends of the Earth, they are what geographers describe as enclosed seas. To a naval strategist, that’s shorthand for an environment replete with numerous choke points from which maritime traffic can be interdicted. Beyond this geostrategic similarity, however, these seas have another common element: the parallels and contrasts with how each region has handled the emergence of new military powers.