shaping the political geography of many world regions, and much work remains to
be done in coming to a full understanding of the dynamics behind both.Choke Point
“Choke point” is a term used ingeopoliticsand military geography to denote a
narrow passage, either on land or water, through which a military force or eco-
nomic resource is forced to pass, and that may be easily controlled by one or a
few countries. Choke points can carry great military strategic importance, because
the geography of such locations may be utilized by a smaller force to offset a dis-
advantage in size when facing a larger army. The classic example of a smaller
force using a choke point to great advantage is at the Battle of Thermopylae, when
a small army of Greeks, led by the Spartan king Leonidas, encountered a much
larger Persian army led by Xerxes I. The pass at Thermopylae at the time of the
battle in 480 BCE was extremely confined, wedged between the sea on one side
and steep hills on the other. The Greek historian Herodotus described the passage
as so restricted that only a single chariot could move through it at a time. Leonidas,
recognizing the advantage the topography would give his outnumbered army, used
this choke point to supreme advantage, stopping the advance of the Persian sol-
diers for several days, and allowing the Greek forces behind him to organize a
defense against the invading Persians. Indeed, had it not been for the betrayal of
a local herdsman who showed the Persians a path through the hills that enabled
them to bypass the Greeks and attack them from the rear, Leonidas and his fol-
lowers might have held the position for many more days. Considering that modern
scholars estimate that the Greek fighters were facing an army that was likely
50 timeslarger, the strategic advantage offered by a choke point is obvious.
In geopolitics, choke points on the world’s sea lanes are of great strategic impor-
tance as well. This is because such constricted waterways could be closed or
restricted by a hostile power, essentially pinching off the supply of a vital resource,
such as petroleum. Perhaps the most crucial and patrolled choke point on the globe
is the Strait of Hormuz, lying between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran and linking
the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean. Thestrait carries an enormous amount of
oceangoing traffic, with much of it in the form of large supertankers hauling petro-
leum. Some experts estimate that more than a third of the world’s petroleum supply
passes through the strait in a given year. The U.S. Navy and other navies maintain a
strong presence in the strait due to its vital role in supplying the global economy
with energy, and recent years have seen a number of hostile incidents involving
western naval forces and Iranian gunboats. Many similar choke points may be found58 Choke Point