Hormuz is sending Southeast Asia a warning – and we can no longer ignore it

Somewhere in Manila, a journalist reported a scene where tricycle drivers queued since six in the morning for a government cash handout worth US$84 – compensation for fuel prices that have surged since Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz. The Philippines has also become the first country to declare a state of national energy emergency. In Hanoi, petrol stations are rationing by the hour and unleaded prices have climbed more than 20 per cent in a matter of weeks. In Jakarta, the government is...