The Strait of Hormuz is one of the most important chokepoints on Earth. Roughly a fifth of the world's oil consumption passes through this narrow waterway, alongside a major share of global LNG and enormous volumes of international trade.But Hormuz is more than a shipping route.It is a pressure point where oil, war, economics, military power and geopolitics collide.In The Strait of Hormuz: Holding The World Hostage, Roy Moses examines the forces that have transformed this narrow waterway into one of the world's most consequential strategic flashpoints.The book explores:Why the Strait of Hormuz matters to the global economyThe long and complicated history of the Iran-West conflictHow oil became a weapon of geopolitical powerWhat happens to global supply chains when ships stop movingHow war and oil shocks can become inflation at the petrol pump and supermarketThe strategic calculations of Iran, the United States and IsraelThe competing interests of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and OmanWhy China cannot afford to ignore HormuzEurope's vulnerability and its evolving energy dilemmaThe connection between Hormuz, Iran's nuclear question and regional conflictWhat could happen if the Strait were closed or seriously disruptedWhether diplomacy can prevent the next major confrontationThe book traces the historical chain from the 1953 Iranian coup and 1979 Revolution, through the Iran-Iraq War and Tanker War, the U.S.-Iran confrontations, sanctions and nuclear standoff, to the modern struggle for influence across the Middle East.Most importantly, it explains the connection between events that can initially seem completely unrelated.A confrontation near Hormuz can become an oil-price shock.An oil-price shock can become inflation.Inflation can affect food, transportation and household budgets.And a regional conflict can become a global economic problem.This is the hidden chain behind the world's dependence on one narrow waterway.If you want to understand why Hormuz matters-and why the next crisis there could reach far beyond the Middle East-this book provides the map.
