The Suez Canal is a manmade waterway located in the Middle East, more specifically Egypt. The Suez Canal was intended to connect the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea. This made logistics in and out of the Middle East easier for people doing business in the two regions.

This waterway, which began in the late 1800’s, had had a history of being a lightning rod for political and economic conflicts between stakeholders throughout the world. Initially, Britain, the colonial power at the time, did not approve of the venture. However, they later became the primary stakeholder once they realized the logistical and economic benefits for creating the canal. In fact, they became the day-to-day operators of the canal. This included positioning troops and other support staff in the area.

Egypt wanted Great Britain to leave the Suez Canal after the end of World War II. In 1956, The United States and Great Britain decided not to fund President Gamal Nasser’s Aswan Dam project. Egypt responded by nationalizing the Suez Canal. They basically forced the British to leave.

Obviously, Great Britain was not happy with losing their strategic and economic investment. They began plans with Israel and France to take back the canal with military force. The fighting that ensued between these three allies and Egypt resulted in the sinking of forty ships. These ships were traveling through the canal when the shooting began. The resulting damage rendered the canal unusable. When the smoke cleared, the United States and the Soviet Union forced Great Britain, France, and Israel to repay the damages that occurred to the canal. In return, the Egyptian government would also be required to pay for the original seizure of the canal from the neutral company.

The repaired Suez Canal was reopened six months later under Egyptian control. However, many believe that Israel’s involvement in the conflict was a cause of the Six-Day War that occurred in 1967.