From King Solomon to the Ayatollah: Whoever controls the passage controls the price

With Iran's rulers threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz, the modern world is reminded of an ancient truth: geography is power.

The Strait is just a narrow channel between Iran and Oman, yet a huge share of the world's oil flows through it. Control that passage and you can rattle global markets, spike prices, and make nations nervous.

Why the land of Canaan was so important

When God told Abraham to go to the land He would show him, Abraham was being sent to Canaan, one of the great crossroads of the ancient world. Canaan was a narrow strip of land between Egypt and Mesopotamia, the ancient...