re: #87 BishopX

Under that hypothetical, the Canal closure would mean that the US fleet in the Med would have to transit around the entirety of Africa to reach the Indian Ocean/Persian Gulf (and vice versa). It would vastly add to the time to deploy assets to the region should a crisis erupt - whether it’s a military one or a humanitarian one (think of the US relief efforts after the 2005 tsunami in Indonesia).

Disrupting the flow of traffic through the canal would have a major effect on commodities prices - oil would rise, as would other goods and services that ordinarily flow through the Canal.

Thing is, the Egyptian government raises significant funds from transit fees - so closure to that kind of traffic isn’t all that likely.