MOZAMBIQUE, Sept. 4 -- FOR much of Tanzanias modern history, our position on the western shores of the Indian Ocean has been understood mainly in terms of trade, ports, tourism and regional connectivity.

That perspective remains valid, but it is no longer sufficient. The changing global geopolitical and economic environment is giving the Western Indian Ocean a much greater strategic significance.

Disruptions around major maritime chokepoints have demonstrated how events in one part of the world can rapidly affect energy supplies, shipping costs, food security, manufacturing and supply chains thousands of kilometres away.

This is producing an important strategic lesson: The prosperity and stability of the Indo-Pacific are increasingly c...