Dean Mikkelsen

Maritime

Canada’s Arctic Exercises Point to a Wider Contest Over Northern Corridors

Canada’s Arctic exercises highlight growing strategic competition as Russia and China expand Northern Sea Route activity.

Aug 14, 2026

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Analysis

The Makkah Pact: Building Security Around the New Geography of Trade

Makkah links collective defence with trade corridors, infrastructure, industry and regional power.

Aug 8, 2026

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Podcast Appearances

The Gulf is Building Around the Hormuz

Gulf states build transport alternatives to reduce dependence on the Strait of Hormuz.

Jul 30, 2026

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Aviation

From Air Hub to Aerospace State: The UAE Moves Up the Aviation Supply Chain

Tim Clark’s call for manufacturers to establish operations in Dubai reflects a broader UAE strategy to localise aircraft production, expand maintenance capacity and strengthen the aviation systems supporting trade, food security and economic growth.

Jul 30, 2026

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Defence & Security

The Bear Gap Is Becoming a Real Arctic Security Problem

From Barentsburg to Severomorsk, surveillance, submarines and undersea infrastructure are converging around one of the North Atlantic’s least understood strategic passages

Jul 28, 2026

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Analysis

When Sea Routes Fail, Cargo Takes Flight

MSC’s investment in next-generation freighters, foreign carriers’ reluctance to return to the Gulf and Emirates’ rapid expansion reveal how disruption is redrawing the global freight network.

Jul 26, 2026

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Analysis

From Maritime Passport to Houthi Clearance: AIS Enters Its Next Phase

The passage of Chinese-owned tankers through Bab el-Mandeb suggests that political identity, cargo declarations and direct clearance are becoming part of an informal maritime access system.

Jul 24, 2026

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Strategic Reads

The Treaty That Still Controls the Black Sea

At 90, the Montreux Convention remains the legal architecture behind Türkiye’s maritime power—and a constraint on both Russia and NATO.

Jul 20, 2026

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Defence & Security

From Bandar Abbas to Brownsville: America Is Building the Shipyard for Autonomous War

The US Navy spent years testing unmanned systems in Middle Eastern waters. The attack on Iran’s submarine facilities showed what that experimentation was preparing to deliver.

Jul 19, 2026

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Maritime

China’s Arctic Shipping Ambition Is Moving From Experiment to Network

China’s scheduled Arctic service transforms seasonal access into a developing logistics network.

Jul 16, 2026

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NERAI Analysis

The Freight Rate Is Late: How Corridor Risk Moves Before Markets React

Corridor risk emerges through compliance, insurance and strategy before freight prices react.

Jul 15, 2026

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Geopolitics

Groundhog Day in Hormuz: The Strait Is Open, but the Fight Is Over Who Controls It

Hormuz remains open, but control, revenue and authority are now contested.

Jul 15, 2026

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Analysis

IMEC and the New Geography of Corridor Resilience

IMEC’s future depends on resilient networks, not one vulnerable trade route.

Jul 11, 2026

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Analysis

The Jones Act Debate Is Really About America’s Maritime Capacity Problem

Jones Act waivers expose America’s deeper maritime capacity and shipbuilding weakness.

Jul 5, 2026

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Geopolitics

China’s Arctic Push Is About More Than Icebreakers

China’s Arctic presence is shifting from scientific access to strategic influence.

Jul 5, 2026

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NERAI Analysis

Russia-Poland Risk Is Not an Invasion Watch. It Is a Provocation Watch

Moscow may not need a war with NATO to test the alliance’s eastern flank.

Jul 5, 2026

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Downloadable Report

Hormuz Is Open, But the Route Is the Real Battleground

Hormuz remains open, but routes, ownership and inbound traffic reveal growing pressure.

Jul 4, 2026

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NERAI Analysis

Russia’s Shadow Fleet Is Still Moving Oil and the Cost of Hiding Is Rising

Russia’s shadow fleet keeps oil moving, but enforcement is raising hidden costs.

Jun 29, 2026

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Trade Corridors

The Middle Corridor Is No Longer a Side Route

Middle Corridor gains importance as trade routes diversify across Central Asia, Caucasus and Europe.

Jun 25, 2026

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Defence & Security

Türkiye’s Blue Homeland: Doctrine, Sea Power and the New Maritime Map

Türkiye’s Blue Homeland doctrine turns maritime geography into strategic power projection.

Jun 25, 2026

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NERAI Analysis

Supply Chains Are Recovering on Paper, But Not Yet in Reality

Supply chains face sustained strain as corridor, tariff and insurance risks converge.

Jun 23, 2026

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Maritime

Canada Cannot Break Gravity, But It Can Build Corridors

Canada must build strategic corridors, not simply surrender to US economic gravity.

Jun 21, 2026

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Geopolitics

Panama Canal’s Next Crisis Is Not Just Drought: It Is Water, Power and Displacement

As El Niño risk returns, Panama is trying to secure the canal’s future. But the fight over the Rio Indio reservoir shows that global trade resilience may come at a local human cost.

Jun 21, 2026

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Analysis

Hormuz, Lebanon and the New Risk Premium for Gulf Stability

The US-Iran memorandum may ease immediate pressure, but renewed uncertainty around the Strait of Hormuz and Israel-Hezbollah exchanges shows that resilience, not normalisation, is now the central issue.

Jun 21, 2026

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