Introduction
A canal is an inland waterway that is artificially built to connect two large water bodies especially for commercial activities and today they are for recreational purposes. It is designed for transportation or irrigation from a waterway. Examples of canals include the Erie Canal, Kennet and Avon canal, the Suez Canal and the Panama Canal. The Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean Sea to the red sea and it is located in Egypt. The Canal (Suez) was built in 1869 with the sole aim of enhancing transport between the two continents (Asia and Europe). Conversely, the Panama Canal links the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans. It is 77km long. The Suez and the Panama canals are the largest and two most important waterway canals in the world. Panama is almost half the size of the Suez Canal but required far more complex technology to be constructed compared to the Suez Canal. This paper compares the historic commercial and shipping advantage and strategic military use of the canals. It reviews who controls the canals today and why there may be concern for future US access.
Historic Commercial Shipping of the Panama and Suez Canal
The Suez Canal
Construction of the Panama Canal began in the late 1800’s while the Suez Canal was completed by 1869. The Suez Canal was constructed by the French whose major focus was for it to be a strategic commercial and military point (Gheit 3). Besides the French, the British also played a major role in the construction of the Suez Canal and it was therefore more of a partnership between the two states. The canal made it possible for the British and the French communities to link with their African as well as the Asian colonies. For the British, the Suez Canal played a very major commercial success role where it made it easier for them to transport raw material from Africa and Asia for their industries. Besides this, the French and the British colonies made large commercial gains in the running and controlling of the canal for a very long period of time. After the independence of the Egyptian community, the British and the French societies still controlled the canal until 1956 when the Egyptian government took over the ownership of the canal after the Suez crisis. Then the US community was able to utilize the canal with no restrictions and with the support of Israel. With time, during the cold war, the US had an interest in the acquisition of the Suez Canal over the Soviet Union. However, this was not possible as the Soviet Union had more support from Egypt than the US did (Mazalien 1). Presently, the canal serves a significant role in hauling (crude) oil from the Middle East. It also serves as a pathway for crude oil from the Persian Gulf to the rest of the world. The canal today is in a state of wear and tear which creates worries on the usage of the Suez Canal as a passage in the future (Mayton 2). The future US relationships with Egypt will determine its access and use of the Suez Canal. Presently, the US military and Navy are said to be in charge of the canal where they control what is shipped through the canal and watch the canal over pirates. They check and monitor the large vessels entering the Suez Canal and it is said the Egyptian community does not have the required technology to maintain the safety of the canal. The Egyptians are not comfortable with the state where the US are in charge of the canal yet Israel backs up the US claiming it cannot afford having the Egyptian military along the canal and in the Aqaba gulf as this will threaten the Israel national security. Therefore, today the Suez Canal is said to be run by the Egyptian community but with the help of America. This seems to remain the case for a long period of time in the future.
The Panama Canal
The construction of the Panama Canal was done in two main stages. This was with the help of the French and American states. The US however had greater influence in the construction of the canal and this was because the panama was a strategic development for the US commercial; and military purposes. Many people believe the canal was constructed primarily for trade between the different regions of the world. The canal necessitated the transportation of both raw materials and processed goods. It therefore made industrialization and manufacturing in the US and France a reality as it necessitated the transportation of goods between the US and the East Coast possible and more effective by shortening the distance covered between the two regions (Mazalien 6). Any country would use the canal freely. This was aimed at boosting economic development particularly for the adjacent nations. It was hoped this would promote world peace and to a large extent bring the different regions together through trade. This would allow for the intermingling of ideas among the users of the canal and the regions that utilized the canal for their common good.
Besides the commercial reasons, the Panama Canal was constructed for military purposes where it was to facilitate the movement of the US military and Navy between the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean and the other way round. It would therefore facilitate warships. The Canal was so important for the US for it allowed it to gain control over Panama. In the near future, the utilization of the Panama Canal is believed to increase by more than half. The utilization of the canal increases each day even with the current expansion program which means in the future its utilization demand is likely to grow beyond the ability of the canal. Profits from the Panama Canal utilization are usually put back in for the improvement of the canal.
The Panama Canal is an important military spot for America and being in charge, the access of the canal by the US remains obvious as they are the major owners and controllers of the Canal (Mayton 8).
Conclusion
Canals are very important commercial points in the world. The Suez Canal and the Panama Canal are the two major and well established canals in the world today. They are the biggest achievement in the world ocean history. They are important commercial and military spot for the regions they border and those surrounding them. The Canals have considerably reduced the distance to be covered from one region to another as today one does not have to travel around the ocean to reach a point across.
Works Cited
Gheit Abul Zeinab. “A History of Survival: Port Said is a symbol of Egyptian pride and perseverance” Travel Today Arabia, 2010. Web.
Holmgren, Chuck. “The Panama Canal.” University of Virginia, 2010. Web.
Mayton, Joseph. “Who really runs Egypt’s Suez Canal?” Bikya Masr, 2010. Web.
Mazalien. “The Suez Crisis.” Mazalien, 2010. Web.