James Stavridis

THE WRITER, A RETIRED US NAVY ADMIRAL AND FORMER SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER OF NATO, IS VICE CHAIRMAN OF GLOBAL AFFAIRS AT THE CARLYLE GROUP, AND DEAN EMERITUS OF THE FLETCHER SCHOOL OF LAW AND DIPLOMACY AT TUFTS UNIVERSITY

Huge international industrial, shipping, finance, banking and telecommunications firms all have an enormous stake in a secure and highly functioning Internet.

The underwater cables that carry the Internet are in trouble

If they are damaged, it would weaken transportation grids and disrupt communications between nations, among other issues