Commentary Naval strategist Alfred Thayer Mahan said that the rise and fall of world trade and empires depends on sea power. Consequently, China’s Maritime Silk Road initiative has been compared to the British Empire strategy of establishing colonies that served as a series of seaports, not only for trade, but also for naval defense and offense. China’s naval strategy includes controlling trade choke points, like the Strait of Hormuz, the Strait of Bab el Mandeb, and the Strait of Malacca. The Strait of Bab el Mandeb runs between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula, and Djibouti and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa. Consequently, it is no coincidence that China’s first overseas naval base was built in Djibouti. As part of its quest to displace the United States as the world’s greatest maritime power, China has established a network of ports-of-call across the Indo-Pacific, by befriending small island nations in need …