The Seas Remember
March 26, 2025 – 400 words – 2 min read
We forgot what freedom of the seas means. For 80 years, it just worked. The U.S. Navy kept it that way, as did a few allies. Trade moved, grain got delivered, and markets stayed steady. No one thought much about it.
Then came the pirates, the blockades, and the drone strikes. The Red Sea jammed. The Black Sea turned hostile. Ships stopped. Prices rose. Supermarkets thinned. We started to notice.
Now, two big steps push back.
First, the Red Sea. U.S. forces struck the Houthis hard. Shipping resumed. The Suez Canal—95% of it serving Europe—reopened. Simple. Fast. Long overdue.
Second, the Black Sea Accord. Ukraine and Russia made separate deals. They agreed to stop attacking energy sites and let shipping flow. The U.S. will enforce it. Ukraine wants guarantees—sanctions, weapons—if Russia cheats. Russia wants the U.S. to keep Ukraine in line. There’s tension, but the lanes are opening.
Add this to the Abraham Accords, and you see something larger. A regional shift. Houthi power in Yemen is fading. Hezbollah feels the pressure in Syria. Hamas is on the ropes in Gaza. Just today, Palestinians marched through Gaza demanding Hamas release hostages, return the dead, and leave.
That’s not normal. That’s new.
We need to act while there’s momentum. These aren’t just headlines. They are signals—if we still know how to read them.
Grain from Ukraine. Fertilizer from Russia. Food, fuel, and global trade back in motion. The stock market saw it. So did leaders in Africa, Asia, and Europe.
This is not peace. But it is leverage. It’s leadership backed by force, not talk. It’s sovereignty respected and trade protected. It’s serious policy in unserious times.
The world works better when ships move, ports stay open, and bad actors are pushed back.
The seas were never truly free. We kept them that way by standing watch. Now, for the first time in years, we’re seeing what happens when America leads again.
The seas remember.
So should we.