Why freeing the Strait of Hormuz is America’s burden to bear

The reason why we have the Fifth Fleet, one of the most awesome naval forces ever assembled in the history of mankind, is to protect the sea lanes in the Middle East. 

That the Strait of Hormuz is now effectively closed is not just a blow to the global economy and a key point of leverage for the Iranian regime, it is an assault against one of the foundations of American power. 

Guarding the safe passage of commerce has been a core Anglo-American commitment for a couple of centuries, with the baton of naval leadership passing from the British to the United States around the time of World War II.

British naval pre-eminence in the 19th century contributed to the creation of the modern world by enabling relatively safe and inexpensive global commerce.

We have done the same in the post-World War II era. 

This has never been an entirely altruistic endeavor, since — as two commercially oriented nations heavily involved in international trade — the UK and the US benefited mightily from the arrangements guaranteed by their warships.