Global trade depends on ports, shipping lanes, rail corridors, pipelines, undersea cables and logistics hubs. These systems are economic infrastructure, but they can also become strategic assets during crises.
For the United States, maritime access is especially important because its economy is deeply connected to global supply chains. Disruptions can raise costs even when the physical damage occurs far from American shores.
Geopolitics therefore increasingly involves resilience. Governments are examining alternative suppliers, critical stockpiles, domestic capacity and allied production. The objective is not to end globalization, but to make essential networks less vulnerable to a single point of failure.