The Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Aden

... efforts of the Sheiks of the Al Nahyan family in the United Arab Emirates that the raids of the Somalian pirates were, if not entirely stopped, then seriously reduced. It is hardly proper to draw direct parallels between the Strait of Hormuz today and the Gulf of Aden a decade ago. Pirates posited a threat stemming from local non-state actors, while in the Strait of Hormuz, we are seeing a clash of interests between the region’s leading powers (Saudi Arabia and Iran), with the participation of a global actor (the United States). Whoever carried out the attacks on the tankers in the strait, it was not savage tribes, but powerful states. This marks the second major difference between the two situations: ...