Straits as Systems: Geography, Power, and the Future of Global Order

Straits as Systems presents a structural framework for understanding the world’s narrow maritime corridors as dynamic, multi‑layered systems that shape global order. Integrating geophysics, military geometry, economic flows, governance regimes, civilizational interfaces, and technological infrastructures, the book introduces the Straits Systems Architecture (SSA)—a comprehensive model for analyzing chokepoints as strategic organisms rather than isolated geographic features.
Through detailed case studies—including Hormuz, Malacca, Bab el‑Mandeb, Suez, Taiwan, and the Bering Strait—the book demonstrates how compression, dependency, and optionality interact to produce systemic leverage, vulnerability, and geopolitical consequence. It shows how climate change, autonomous maritime systems, cyber‑nautical disruption, and undersea digital infrastructure are reshaping the strategic meaning of narrow places.
Written for policymakers, analysts, scholars, and practitioners, Straits as Systems offers a unified method for interpreting global risk, forecasting chokepoint instability, and designing resilient governance architectures. It argues that the stability of the international system depends not on its vastness, but on its narrowest points—and that understanding these corridors is essential for navigating the emerging century.