Strait of Hormuz and Other Trade Routes Put Geography Back at the Centre

The US war on Iran and disruption to energy and trade routes are underscoring the enduring power of geography, challenging the idea that technology and globalisation have freed economies from its constraints.

The Strait of Hormuz illustrates how narrow passages can carry significance far beyond their immediate surroundings. When critical routes become vulnerable, their location turns into a source of strategic leverage, with consequences for countries dependent on the movement of energy and goods.

The pressure extends beyond any single waterway. Disruption at key chokepoints exposes the dependence of global commerce on physical corridors that cannot always be easily replaced, regardless of advances in communications or logistics.

Resources and access are also regaining prominence in calculations of national power. Where energy is produced, how it reaches markets and who can influence its passage remain central questions during conflict.

Rather than making geography irrelevant, globalisation has deepened connections between distant economies while leaving those connections exposed to disruption. The conflict is a reminder that technological progress can change how the world trades, but cannot erase the physical limits within which it operates.