There are certain strategic points around the world where canals play a very important role: saving thousands of kilometers in the transport of goods and passengers. For example, the Suez Canal is located in Egypt and connects the Asian and European economies. This canal avoids ships having to border the entire African continent, thus reducing the distance by at least 8,000 kilometers depending on the origin and destination. On the American continent, there are three places that have been considered for the construction of a canal for centuries. One is the Tehuantepec canal in Mexico, which is already under construction, but it is not a maritime canal but a multimodal canal that includes roads, railroads and ports. Another is Panama, which has been in operation for more than 100 years. And another is Nicaragua. The latter has been attempted dozens of times, but has never been built. Although there are recent indications that lead us to believe that it could finally be carried out. So the questions are: why did the United States change its decision to build the canal through Nicaragua and finally choose Panama? Why a canal through Nicaragua does not make economic sense? But why does it make geopolitical sense for China in the coming years?
Some sources of interest:
- Turzi, Mariano (2017). The Latin American silk road: China and the Nicaragua Canal. Journal of international relations strategy and security. 12. 163-178.
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- Who is behind the "Nicaragua Grand Canal" and why?
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