The Straits of Malacca: Gateway or Gauntlet?

For centuries the Straits of Malacca, a narrow waterway between the Malay peninsula and the island of Sumatra, has been both a major conduit for long distance trade between Asia and the West and one of the most dangerous areas for commercial shipping. Casting a broad net across several disciplines, particularly geography and political economy, Donald Freeman examines the significance of the Straits as both a trade gateway and a choke-point that has forced generations of sailors to "run the gauntlet." Rather than the more conventional historical-narrative approach, he offers an innovative adoption of an interdisciplinary, analytical perspective through his use of detailed case studies of trading systems and shipping hazards.