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Strait of Hormuz

Strait of Hormuz - Venezuela oil - Oil production capacity - Strategic oil reserves - Oil markets - Global oil trade - Energy security

The world's oil is not always where the power lies

From Venezuela's vast reserves to the Strait of Hormuz and Europe's dependence on American diesel, the events of 2026 reveal how control over oil depends on far more than geological wealth.

By The Beiruter
Strait of Hormuz - Maritime trade routes - Maritime intelligence - Pole Star Global - Maritime chokepoints - Strait of Malacca

Maritime trade and the limits of shortcuts

New maritime traffic data and maps reveal where global trade converges, who controls the passages it depends on, and the distances ships must travel when the shortest routes are no longer available.

By Katharine Sorensen
Strait of Hormuz - Strategic chokepoints - Rare-earth export controls - Dollar dominance - Economic coercion

Every chokepoint has a half-life

A chokepoint is most powerful before it is used. Each denial exposes the dependence and gives its targets another reason to escape it.

By Dr. Joseph Sokhon