http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/26/world/europe/russian-presence-near-undersea-cables-concerns-us.html

The story basically says this is a cat n mouse game that's been going on for decades.
Of course, we're the bad guys because we tapped their cables first. -or- the Russians are the dummies because they can't find ours.

Undersea cuts happen more often than what's reported.  Thankfully there are so many cables, important traffic can usually be rerouted... which usually leads to longer latency, congestion and people getting pissed because they think their internet connection is slowed.

A couple of years ago, cables that fed India and the middle east were cut (as in plural, more than one).   So, those tech support centers that featured not-so-good-english-speaking-tech-support ...  well, yeah, the line was busier than usual.   If your company outsourced anything to India, you really felt it, circuits were still being completed, but it was via a longer route - and probably one that was pretty full to begin with.

Those fiber optic cables carry LOTS of commerce traffic, the economic impact is probably bigger than any military impact (if it even exists).  I would guess, the countries that depend on the American consumer, or American companies to survive & thrive, probably feel it the worst.       Whatever conversations take place, if any at all, between governments - is probably driven not-so-much by military/security, but by the multi-national companies, and/or companies that have relocated services abroad to save a little coin.

Minutes are millions.

Nah, there's no cold war.  That's over.  Just like ISIS is a JV team and al Qaeda is on the run. 

Quote from: Dori on October 26, 2015, 07:22:44 AM
Nah, there's no cold war.  That's over.  Just like ISIS is a JV team and al Qaeda is on the run.

Naaa...  BO is getting really good at opening up multiple fronts, the China Islands, Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, Afganistan, Boko Harem somewhere in Africa, or is it... they perceive him as weak, and are moving while they can.

Iran is suspected in cutting a couple of under sea cables, so I hear.  Testing out their new subs.