How the USA is building a new world order: control over maritime choke points first and foremost

US President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegset. Photo: Win McNamee / Getty Images

According to Tanvi Ratna, long before the start of the military conflict between the US and Israel with Iran, Washington began to form a new system of control over global maritime routes.

Panama Canal: goals achieved by pressure

The first point was the Panama Canal — one of the main arteries of world trade. In 2025, the Donald Trump administration openly opposed control by the Chinese company CK Hutchison over the canal's key ports. The US combined political pressure with diplomatic agreements with Panama, offering defense cooperation and economic benefits.

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Panama Canal. Photo: Matias Delacroix, File

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegset and Secretary of State Marco Rubio held talks with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino. As a result, new security agreements were reached, which included preferential terms for the passage of American military vessels through the canal and the conduct of joint exercises. At the same time, Washington maintained constant public pressure, making it clear that the preservation of a Chinese operational presence could have serious consequences.

Internal processes in Panama itself also played an important role: an audit revealed violations in the contract with the Chinese company, and at the end of January 2026, the country's Supreme Court declared the concession extension unconstitutional. Control over the ports was temporarily transferred to other international operators without direct intervention from American forces.

Thus, Chinese influence on the arteries connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans was eliminated through a combination of diplomatic incentives and the work of Panama's judicial system. After this, the administration's attention shifted to the Strait of Hormuz.

Strait of Hormuz: a bet on force

The events around the Strait of Hormuz, unfolding in February and March 2026, became the most spectacular and overt part of the entire process. Following the start of Operation "Epic Fury" and Iran's attempts to block oil supplies by mining the passage, the US resorted to a tactic of selective naval blockade.

Tanvi Ratna emphasizes that this step proved effective: the blockade only affected Iranian vessels, potentially allowing global trade to continue while simultaneously depriving the regime in Tehran of its main revenues. This forced Iran to demonstrate a readiness for negotiations.

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Strait of Hormuz. Satellite image: Wikimedia Commons

However, as the author notes, the situation is not yet definitively resolved: disputes continue around the nuclear program itself. But it is already clear that the balance of power in the region has shifted, and even Persian Gulf countries are increasingly inclined to accept the American naval presence as a guarantee of security.

European states tried to create an alternative coalition to maintain navigation, but, according to Ratna, it will be difficult for them to replace the role played by the US as the main guarantor of stability at this point.

Strait of Malacca: a bet on cooperation with Indonesia

As soon as the situation in the Strait of Hormuz stabilized, the Trump administration shifted its focus to Southeast Asia. The author highlights the defense cooperation agreement signed with Indonesia on April 13.

Formally, the document covered issues of military modernization and the development of autonomous systems, but the main strategic achievement was the United States gaining rights to unobstructed overflight of Indonesian territory.

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Strait of Malacca. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

This gave American forces the ability to constantly monitor the Strait of Malacca — one of the most important routes, through which about 80% of China's oil imports and approximately 40% of world trade pass.

Control was established by gaining access to airspace, which eliminated the need for Washington to create new military bases. In this case, the result was achieved solely by diplomatic means: agreements were signed and put into effect within just one week.

Strait of Gibraltar: a bet on cooperation with Morocco

The final stage in forming the new maritime map of the world is to be the strengthening of US positions in the area of the Strait of Gibraltar. Just two days after the agreement with Indonesia, on April 16, 2026, the Pentagon signed a ten-year defense cooperation roadmap with Morocco.

The agreement covers a wide range of areas: from NATO-level arms supplies to intelligence sharing and cybersecurity. The significance of this step is determined by geography: Morocco controls the southern shore of the Strait of Gibraltar — a key entrance to the Mediterranean Sea.

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Strait of Gibraltar. Satellite image. Europe on the left, Africa on the right. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

At the same time, the US utilized an existing alliance with over two centuries of history: it was Morocco that first recognized the independence of the United States in 1777. Using these historical ties, Washington secured long-term logistical support and operational integration at the entrance to the Mediterranean.

New configuration of control over maritime routes

In summary, Tanvi Ratna notes that in just fifteen months, the United States managed to build a new configuration of control over key maritime choke points.

Using different approaches for each case, the Trump administration achieved a single strategic result. While the public's primary attention was focused on the hot conflict with Iran, the other steps were implemented without widespread publicity.

The US wants to take control of all "choke points" of world trade: Chinese presence in Panama has been eliminated, Iran is to be forced to cede control over Hormuz, permanent aerial surveillance has been established over the Strait of Malacca, and integration with an ally has been solidified in Gibraltar.

As the author asserts, a fundamental transformation of the global maritime system is occurring before our eyes: passages that previously remained zones of competition are to become elements of a unified architecture dominated by American influence.

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