This seminar explores the concept of chokepoints as a critical analytical category at the intersection of transport geography, maritime strategy, and global logistics security. Bottlenecks such as straits, canals, and constrained passages, represent both structural vulnerabilities and strategic assets, capable of shaping trade routes, energy flows, and the broader stability of the world economy. Through the examination of recent crises, such as disruptions in the southern Red Sea and recurrent tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, the discussion highlights how physical, infrastructural, and geopolitical factors combine to redefine maritime risk geographies. A final section introduces the emerging Arctic chokepoint of the Bering Strait, a future frontier of strategic competition and polar connectivity.
Overall, the seminar aims to illustrate how chokepoints function as critical nodes of both fragility and power within the interconnected architecture of global transport systems.