Blockades Are Legitimate Tools of War |
Naval blockades are a classic and indispensable strategy of naval warfare. The United States Navy has repeatedly implemented blockades to defeat its enemies. The current blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is part of a long line of this often-used military tactic, which the armed forces of the United States are very familiar with.
During the American Civil War, the largely agrarian Southern economy, driven byslave labor, relied on exports to sustain itself. The Union Navy blockaded the South’s ports and even provided opportunities for slaves to escape via docked ships.
In World Wars I and II, naval blockades weakened the German military, slowed its production of war materials, and led to Germany’s surrender. Prior to its downfall, Imperial Japan waged a violent campaign across East Asia to control the world’s rubber supply. U.S. innovation and a naval blockade in the........