When global maritime arteries seize, Australia chokes

(Sean Andrews – ASPI The Strategist) Australians are learning an uncomfortable lesson about maritime power. The conflict in the Middle East and threats to tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz have pushed oil prices sharply higher and exposed a deeper strategic vulnerability: Australia’s prosperity depends overwhelmingly on sea lanes it does little to secure. For most Australians, the crisis appears simply as rising petrol prices. But what is unfolding is not just another commodity cycle. It is a reminder that control of maritime chokepoints and capacity points—and the ability to keep trade moving through them—remains a decisive factor in global politics. Australia, a nation whose economy is built on seaborne trade, is discovering how quickly disruptions at sea can cascade through domestic life. – When global maritime arteries seize, Australia chokes | The Strategist