Issue 2247

This issue of The Caravan turns to the maritime Middle East: the bodies of water that frame the region, from the Black Sea and the Mediterranean through Suez to the Red Sea and the Gulf. The projection of power by global actors as well as the local conflicts play out through forces on the sea. Control of the chokepoints defines the competition. US strategy ultimately must pay attention to the naval dimension of the region as well as the priority of preserving freedom of navigation.