FLASHPOINTS TO WATCH With energy demand on the...

FLASHPOINTS TO WATCH
Strait of Hormuz: Danger waters

With energy demand on the rise and sources of supply dwindling, we are entering a new epoch - the Geo-Energy Era - in which disputes over vital resources will dominate world affairs. In 2012 and beyond, energy and conflict will be bound ever more tightly together, lending increasing importance to the key geographical flashpoints in our resource-constrained world, starting with the Strait of Hormuz.
- Michael T Klare (Jan 11, '12)

South China Sea: Call for US build-up
A think-tank with close ties to

the administration of President Barack Obama has called for Washington to pursue a policy of "cooperative primacy" in the South China Sea to both avoid future conflict with Beijing and preserve freedom of navigation and the independence of smaller countries in the region. First though, the US needs to bolster its navy, the report suggests.
- Jim Lobe (Jan 11, '12)