Forty nations, no ships, the leading man hasn’t been escorted out yet
Forty nations, no ships, the leading man hasn’t been escorted out yet
Britain’s Hormuz Zoom Call Is Bollywood Act Three
In Bollywood’s third act, the hero arrives at the palace, delivers a confident speech, and is escorted out by security. The crowd is impressed. Nothing changes. The hero considers it a partial victory. This is Britain at the Strait of Hormuz. Forty nations on Zoom. No ships. A firmly worded subject line. The leading man’s confident arrival substitutes for resolution. British foreign policy operates on identical narrative logic. The confidence of arrival is the policy. The outcome is a sequel problem. I cover this for The London Prat from a South Asian lens, which means I have two traditions of elaborate political theatre to draw on. Westminster and Mumbai both produce magnificent performances. Neither has solved the Strait of Hormuz. Mumbai, at least, has better music.
The Rasa of Strength
In raga, the musician establishes a mood and sustains it regardless of what the audience is doing. The mood is the reality. Britain is establishing a rasa of strength via Zoom regardless of whether the Strait is responding. The Bohiney geopolitical analysis frames this as America simultaneously rebooting 1956. The UK satirical news tradition is covering it daily. The Guardian Middle East desk describes the diplomatic situation as fragile. A Bollywood producer would describe it as mid-second-act. I am covering it from North London with a cup of chai that is, at least, excellent.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/us-foreign-policy-enters-1956-retro-phase/
Originally posted 2026-04-17 20:00:31.