ABSTRACT

The attention of this research project has been focused on the Panama and Suez canals. The primacy of maritime commerce to mankind since the beginning of time cannot be over-emphasized. Transport facilitates the commercial intercourse between and among states. Water as a natural highway has been the major purveyor of international trade and this translates to waxed integration of states with respect to globalization.  Goods involved in maritime trade and their related vessel types with regards to their ability to transit the Panama and Suez canals were examined. The patterns of international political economic arrangements have been highlighted. An assessment of the construction, management and the operationalism of the Panama and Suez canals indicates that these canals have been tailor-made for international commerce and that their closure, even temporarily, could yield severe consequences for global economy because of the complex interdependence of states in terms of commerce.