Beyond war, key maritime nations grope for solutions to keep waterways open
"We must not allow insecurity to become the new normal," Zaqy Mohamad said at the Manama Dialogue.
As the war on Iran nears its conclusion, maritime nations are contemplating the future of global trade routes. The Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for shipping, has been the site of tense relations between the US and Iran, causing disruptions for months. At this year's Manama Dialogue, organized by the International Institute of Strategic Studies, maritime security emerged as a central concern.
Singapore's Acting Minister for Muslim Affairs and Senior Minister of State for Defence, Zaqy Mohamad, emphasized that while globalization has not eliminated conflict, it should not place economies and livelihoods at the mercy of maritime chokepoints. Zaqy urged nations to prioritize maritime cooperation, warning that failure to do so would result in maritime insecurity becoming an enduring aspect of international trade.
Cooperation proposed included timely threat sharing, joint action, and safeguarding unobservable infrastructure beneath the seas. Singapore, a regional leader in maritime security, has collaborated with neighboring countries on patrols in the Malacca Straits and provided contributions to Combined Task Forces in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea.
The urgency for durable solutions to maritime security has grown, as highlighted by Greece, the current Security Council president. Greece pointed to the Black Sea, which has been impacted by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as another critical area requiring attention. Despite ongoing tensions, regional diplomats anticipate that Singapore's call for increased initiative from littoral and user-states will resonate in the Middle East.
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