Both World War I and II were fought by the then world’s mightiest military and economic powers for dominance and absolute control over “strategic sea lanes” that were connected by the Straits of Gibraltar, Bosphorus and Suez which in turn were for them the keys and gateways to large swathes of continental territory across Europe, Russia, Middle-East, and Near-East Asia.
Gibraltar, Bosphorus and Suez were called as the world’s “choke points”.
Anyone in a position and with sufficient power to wield a stranglehold over these “choke points” got to be effectively the “emperor of the whole world” . A giant proportion of the world’s trade, industry and commerce flows at that time in history took place only in and around Europe and the Atlantic continental seaboards… And all of it had to flow only through these “choke points”.
Hence, Hitler of Germany, Mussolini of Italy and Hirohito of Japan who led their powerful countries to all-out Wars against the world all once did, in one way or the other, aspire to such global Emperor-hood.
What is the scene today ?
Dominance if not absolute control over these “choke-points” in the arterial sea lanes continues today to hold the potential to be able, in fell swoop, to “choke off” nations and peoples’ life, liberty and livelihoods… In other words, any power that controls them could at will turn-on and turn-off all traffic of trade, industry and commerce, traffic of military arms too and also all movement of peoples through and to and fro any part or parts of any one or more region in the world .
Thus indeed it is for that reason that over the years it has become a constant theme in the history of “super-power rivalry” of the world since the last two World Wars, that the most powerful countries (economically and militarily) will never cease waging a relentless “cold war” with each other to seize control and dominance over these arterial “choke points” in the sea lanes of the world.
Now, in the 21st century the very same “cold war” for “choke points” is going to be fought … not between Anglo-Saxon antagonists amongst themselves this time but … between them and the great new superpower of the world — CHINA .
Why ?
Because trade, industry and commerce flows today do not swirl around circulating mostly as they did once in the time of WW-I and II only around Europe and the trans-Atlantic continents. Today that traffic is mostly if not predominantly between the Trans-Atlantic continents of the world and Pan-Asiatic mainland China .
China therefore now is stepping forward boldly and aggressively and is posing the challenge to the rest of the world in terms as follows:
“If you Anglo-Saxon world-powers (US, UK, EU and Australia/New Zealand) can wield control over the Western and Middle-Eastern “choke points” of Gibraltar, Bosphorus and Suez why should I, China, an equal superpower, not seize control or dominance over other emerging strategic “choke points” in Eastern pan-Indian Oceania which straddles that part of the globe that stretches between the Straits of Hormuz and Bab-el-Mandeb, Cape of Good hope and Malacca?”
China has started raising today an increasingly rude, “in-your-face” question to the Western Trans-Atlantic/Pan-Anglo-Saxon powers : “Why must you guys alone wield the power of “turn-on, “turn-off” switching at strategic “choke-points” of the world ? Why should I not have and wield the same power over Malacca, Cape of Good Hope and Hormuz as you do over Gibraltar, Suez, Bab El-Mandeb and Panama ?”
During World War I and II , the dynamics of super-power rivalry did not impact much the strategic security concerns of India . India was the “jewel in the crown” of the British Sovereign who was sworn to keep her territory in India protected from harm. Also, India at that time in history was only a bit-player in the great epic drama of super-power rivalry and war . The “choke-points” of the Western and Middle Eastern sea lanes did not really hold any “strategic significance” for India. The Wars fought then were not really India’s business.
The situation is, however, not so today … and will not be so too in the rest of the 8 more decades still left in the 21st century ?
Why ?!
Because India is today a bit like a poor deer caught flat-footed in the darkness in the middle of a forest highway-turning… momentarily frozen and paralysed with fear and confusion, blinded by the sudden, white flashing glare of beams of powerful headlamps thrown at it by two powerful SUV trucks converging on it menacingly from both sides !
Because of where India’s geography happens to be where it exactly is, unfortunately, India willy-nilly is going to be definitely dragged into the politics of the super-powers’ titanic struggle for control over the “choke points” in the neighbourhood of the ocean in its very own backyard : the Indian Ocean . The Indian Ocean, right in the middle of which India stands, is going to be without a shred of doubt the central theatre of war in which the great 21st-century’s Cold World-War warriors, the Anglo-Saxon Axis of US, UK-EU and Australia is going fight China … and this War too will have to be fought to the finish.
In this great looming “World Cold-War” India must make the right choices if it must emerge eventually on the right side of History.
What are those choices likely to be?
Only PM Mr Modi and his MEA, Mr Jaishankar, probably know ?
But who knows, perhaps the small secretive group of members attending the ongoing “G7-meeting” in London today (May 5 2021) might have have an inkling of it too ?!
I don’t know .
One thing however is for sure … you and I , ordinary citizens of India … will have no clue until perhaps , God forbid, the Cold World War-III is already upon us !
Bhaarath Maatha ki Jai !