1001 Arabian Canals

By Alexander Vittorgan

The Egyptian government promulgated Sunday, October 18, the final agreements with six international corporations on accord of the construction of a Suez Canal alternative, according to Thompson Reuters. This is the flagship project of president Abdul Fattah al-Sisi's economic restoration program. The Egyptian economy is currently in dire straits due to the political instability of late. The construction of the new canal will be actualized with the enlisted help of UAE, The Netherlands, Belgium, and the US.

The Egyptian authorities hope that the new canal will increase national profits from waterways by 2023 twofold - from 5 billion dollars to 13.5. In the same vein, there are plans to construct a figurative rest stop for boats carrying large loads.

The head of the Suez Canal administration, General Lt. Mohab Meshim informed the public of their intention to begin work no later than next week, finishing before the fall of next year. According to Meshim, Egyptian engineers have already begun extensive research and will continue alongside their international colleagues.

The new yet-unnamed canal will stream parallel to an old land route, existing for more than 150 years. The Suez Canal is the shortest passage between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Critical to commericial and, to an extent, biological life, the Suez Canal is the dominant source of international capital and investment. That is amplified in its importance in these uneasy times of weakened economic structures and financial systems since the Tahrir Revolution of 2011. 

This is the Suez Canal, as it is seen from space. If the Suez Canal is at 10 o'clock on a watch, the new canal will run at 8 o'clock.

The UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait sacrificed billions of dollars in aid since Sisi, the former Minister of Defense, rose to power through his own military coup, overthrowing Muhammed Morsi, the legitimately-elected president of the Muslim Brotherhood party.