Why Gallipoli still matters: predicting the challenges of a Strait of Hormuz invasion

In 1915, Allied Forces attempted to seize control of the Dardanelles Strait during the Gallipoli campaign. A narrow strait linking the Mediterranean and Black Sea, bounded by elevated terrain, the Dardanelles Strait was of economic significance; McMeekin described the shutting of the Strait in 1914 as dealing Russia a devastating economic blow, with the attempt to reopen the Strait vital towards restoring Russia’s economic lifeline. 1Sean McMeekin, The Russian Origins of the First World War (Harvard University Press, 2011) Many similarities exist between the Dardanelles Strait and the current…