Focus Area
Energy, Shipping & Infrastructure
Energy, shipping, and communications routes are inseparable from geopolitical positioning. Pipeline bypasses, disrupted sea lanes, grid expansion, and the repair and redundancy of subsea cables determine a state’s room for maneuver in conflict, and where energy-intensive industries can locate. This section tracks the strategic implications of energy, shipping lanes, and critical infrastructure.
4 analyses
After the Cable Breaks: How Repair Capacity Shapes a State's Strategic Choices
Two Baltic cables damaged in 2024 were routed around and repaired within two weeks; when both Matsu cables failed in 2023, even emergency-expanded microwave links could back up only about 40% of traffic. Identifying the ship, proving intent and proving state involvement are separate bars, and recent cases stop at the first two. Repair and redundancy are among the few responses that need no culprit — yet repairs worldwide are slowing, mostly because of permits.
The Houthis Push Toward Bab el-Mandeb as the Middle East's Two Shipping Gateways Come Under Pressure at Once
In September the Houthis took Mocha and reached Perim, the island in the middle of the Bab el-Mandeb. The strait is not closed, but with Hormuz traffic down to a handful of ships a day, the Red Sea was the outlet Saudi Arabia was counting on — and its pipeline to Yanbu has just been hit too. Iran has now tied reopening Hormuz to ending the fighting by all its allies, pulling both straits into a single negotiation.
How the New Pipeline Empire Bypassing the Strait of Hormuz Redraws Oil Power
On a map, the Strait of Hormuz is a thin strip of water; in practice, it is the energy chokepoint the world finds hardest to avoid. The fighting of 2026 has changed how oil power is measured. This article examines how Saudi Arabia and the UAE use bypass pipelines to gain a resilience other Gulf producers lack, and how that is reshaping regional alignments.
Crossroads of Energy Transition: Geopolitical Struggles over Next-Generation Infrastructure
Net zero is more than an environmental goal; it is a new industrial revolution. This article examines how countries are competing over energy infrastructure and how companies can stay competitive through the transition.