Narrow straits, indomitable mountain passes, sandstorm-prone highways through the desert: British author Tim Marshall has been traveling to places where the global economy can stall for three decades. With his book, which sold millions of copies “The power of geography“ he brought classical geography back into the globalization debate. Now he says: The crisis on the Strait of Hormuz is not an episode, but a turning point. The world is no longer “flat” but full of obstacles, traps and opportunities for blackmail. ZEIT spoke to him about the strait that is currently keeping the world in suspense – and asked him where the next trap for the global economy lurks.