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THE GREAT NAMAZU EXPLAINS GLOBAL MARITIME SECURITY IN A NUT SHELL |
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| The Great Namazu, Maritime Analyst & Retired Demigod American Admiralty Books Safety & Privacy Policies GREETINGS BIPEDS! Editors's Note: Once again the Great Catfish explains the real workings of the maritimeworld to the land dwelling bipeds.
The English speaking bipeds on this watery planet at the outbreak of the last real world war
controlled the "Sea Gates", those narrow passages between the seas such as Gibraltar,
the Suez Canal, the Panama Canal, the Horn of South Africa. The major "Sea Gates" were
squarely in the hands of either the British, or the Americans. And I do mean really in their
hands, the colonial era had not ended. I'm not talking about a "right to defend",
"cooperative operating agreements", or dominant naval presence in the vicinity. When WWII
broke out the English speaking bipeds held the sea gates in most cases as actual
possessions or colonies. The then "Axis of Evil" ( seems like there always is one on this
watery planet ) consisting the Nazis, the Fascists, and Imperial Japan were condemned to
suffer almost impossible problems relative to their "sea lines of communications". The then
unapologetic Christian , English speaking world held " the gates of their enemies". The
Germans and the Japanese were reduced to transferring personnel and smaller weapons
systems via cargo submarines, some of which did not make it through. Germany and Italy
were quickly reduced to overland communications greatly hampered by the presence of neutral
Switzerland. Those who held the "Sea Gates" , "the gates of their enemies", were able to
reduce the powerful "Axis of Evil" to "unconditional surrender".
Unfortunately for the sake of peace in this world today the English speaking bipeds no longer
control the "Sea Gates". Gibraltar is a quasi independent British affiliate, the British militarily
man "The Rock", but the Spanish contest it constantly. The Panama Canal is now in the
property of the Panamanian nation and operated by a Chinese operating company. The Suez
is the property of Egypt, which has never been truly stable since the end of WW II. To
oversimplify just a bit only the strength and global deployment of the English speaking navies
assures international access to the "Sea Gates". Unfortunately, the English speaking navies
especially the capstone American Navy have been shrinking steadily as the Russian,
and Chinese navies have been rising. Make no mistake about it, the rival naval powers to the
the English speaking world are not an alternative to insuring the freedom of seas on
which world economic development depends.
Of 77 strategic materials that the United States needs to maintain its economy 66 come to us
by sea. Of these perhaps oil is the best known, though we are now headed to self sufficiency
in oil. We were net exporters of oil once before and may be again, but that status is always
temporary as long as the world runs on fossil fuel. Global peace is dependent on the
unimpeded movement of oil cargoes more than any other cargo movement. Many nations
will never be self sufficient in oil, yet are no less dependent upon it for the trappings
of modern civilization than the U.S. is. Daily 46.9 billion barrels of oil flow through
just a few "Sea Gates", known in naval parlance as the" oil transit choke points."
The security of these "sea gates is critical to world peace, but the gates are no longer in trust
worthy hands. The volume of oil coming daily through the "Sea Gates" is roughly fifty
percent of the world's daily 94.4 millions of barrels of daily consumption.
Uncertainty over daily delivery of oil can lead to world wide shifts in oil prices. If just one
of the Sea Gates is closed even temporarily tankers will have to travel thousands of miles out
of their way to deliver the oil. many markets will experience severe oil shortages due to the
delay in delivery and most will experience higher prices per gallon to reflect the increased
transport costs. For some consuming nations a passage through a "Sea Gate" is the only way
to receive oil by ship.
The world's largest and most strategically significant oil transit choke point is the Strait of
Hormuz. This sea gate lies between the United Arab Emirates and Iran and separates the
Persian Gulf from the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. An "open gate", enables massive
volumes of oil from Iraq,Kuwait, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE to flow to global
market. On a daily basis about 17 million barrels of oil from these nations transit the strait in
tankers. In 2011 and again in 2012 Iran made repeated threats to blockade these straits.
Had they been successful, such a blockade at the time would have immediately caused a
fifty percent rise in oil prices.., which at the time were steady at $100 per barrel. The Strait is
21 miles wide at its narrowest point, and was susceptible to blockage but for the presence
of the United States Navy's Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, which was clearly prepared to
intervene.
Today the English speaking family of nations is less prepared to intervene than ever.
Not long ago the Commander in Chief of the largest navy among them was a closet Muslim
who hated the English speaking world, especially his own nation. The New Commander in Chief of The US Navy hasn't been through a complete budget cycle yet. The general weakening of the English speaking nations could not have happened at a worse juncture in history. The sea gates are no longer in reliable hands. The English speaking peoples no longer hold the gates of their enemies. What no one could take from your hand you cheerfully gave away. And now you are disassembling your war fleet before your very enemies.
I'm Namazu. Understand your past, and correct your misdirection, or my prophesy
is that your tribe is not long for this world.
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