In an age defined by globalisation, digital connectivity and complex supply chains, it’s easy to believe geography has receded in importance. The reality is quite the opposite. Physical geography, particularly narrow maritime chokepoints, continues to exert a powerful influence over global trade and geopolitics. This is the “tyranny of geography”: the notion that geography both influences and constrains human behaviour. Nowhere is this more visible than in the world’s key maritime chokepoints. These are the narrow waterways through which much of global trade passes. They include the Strait of Hormuz, the Malacca Strait, Bab el-Mandeb, and the Bosphorus. They are…