War is forcing the world to reckon with geography’s power

Everyday assumptions have been challenged by the economic havoc wrought by the blockage of a single vital shipping and energy route in the Persian Gulf. ILLUSTRATION: TIMO LENZEN/NYTIMESPublished Oct 06, 2026, 10:45 AMUpdated Oct 06, 2026, 11:08 AMWar and conflicts have highlighted the enduring power of geography, disrupting vital shipping routes like the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab, impacting global energy and trade.Climate change is reshaping strategic geography by altering key waterways, such as the Rhine, Danube, Panama Canal, and opening new Arctic routes, affecting transport and industrial production.The postwar global order is breaking down as geography regains importance, with rising confrontations over critical regions like Ukraine and Taiwan, signalling increased geopolitical struggles ahead.LONDON – For decades we have lived in a world that seemed to transcend geography.Information, money, goods, germs and weapons have come to defy distance. Whispered confidences and billion-dollar bounties are traded instantaneously.See more on