China has spent $2.5 billion building an energy corridor designed to reduce its dependence on one of the world’s most strategically important maritime chokepoints: the Strait of Malacca. The 771-kilometer pipeline system running through Myanmar offers an alternative route for crude oil and natural gas, allowing supplies to reach China’s southwestern province of Yunnan without…

For decades, the Strait of Hormuz has been one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints. At its narrowest, the strait is only about 21 miles wide, yet roughly 20 million barrels of oil pass through it every day around one-fifth of global consumption.  For India, the vulnerability is even more significant. Around 45%…

The Strait of Malacca is one of the most important and vulnerable passages in the global economy. At its narrowest point, the waterway between Malaysia and Indonesia is only about 2.8 kilometers wide, yet it carries an extraordinary share of the world’s maritime trade.  More than 100,000 ships pass through the strait each year,…

The Red Sea has become a critical vulnerability in global shipping. Attacks on commercial vessels have forced ships to take longer routes around Africa, while higher insurance premiums, fuel costs, and transit times have added billions of dollars to the cost of moving goods around the world.  The disruption has renewed interest in an…

Saudi Arabia’s $500 billion NEOM vision was designed to transform the country’s northwest into a futuristic economic region built around new cities, advanced industries, tourism, and infrastructure. But by 2026, the project is entering a very different phase.  Several major contracts have been cancelled, deadlines have slipped, and the ambitions surrounding The Line appear…

Global shipping is entering a period in which several of the world’s most important trade corridors face disruption at the same time. Conflict around the Strait of Hormuz, continuing insecurity in the Red Sea, risks surrounding the Suez Canal, and restrictions on the Panama Canal have exposed the vulnerability of a global trading system built…

For decades, the Strait of Hormuz has been one of the most important chokepoints in global energy trade. A narrow passage between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, it normally carries nearly 20 percent of the world’s oil supply. When instability threatens the route, the consequences extend far beyond the Gulf, affecting energy…

The Strait of Hormuz is only a narrow passage between the Persian Gulf and the open ocean, but its importance to the global economy is enormous. For decades, the waterway has served as a critical artery for energy, fertilizer, and other essential commodities. When access becomes uncertain, the consequences extend far beyond the countries surrounding…

In March 2021, a single container ship brought one of the world’s most important trade corridors to a standstill.  The *Ever Given*, a container vessel nearly 400 meters long, lost control in high winds and became wedged across the Suez Canal. Its bow pressed against the eastern bank while its stern rested against the…

Global trade depends on a handful of narrow corridors through which enormous volumes of goods, energy, and raw materials move between continents. When one of these routes is disrupted, the consequences can spread across supply chains worldwide. When several are threatened simultaneously, the vulnerability of the entire system becomes impossible to ignore.  In 2026,…