Exploring Alternative Maritime Trade Routes

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This chapter discusses potential alternatives to the Panama Canal, including a failed attempt to build a canal in Nicaragua and the possibility of using the Northwest Passage due to climate change. It also explores the challenges of replacing the Panama Canal with land routes and suggests these alternatives serve a purpose in case of future capacity issues or security and climate change problems.

Campaigning for a coming election in the world’s fourth-most-populous country has been almost entirely policy-free: a good social-media presence is nearly all candidates need. As the Panama Canal dries out, neighbouring countries spy an opportunity—but how much of that trade can they expect to siphon off (09:11)? And, the wild boar hybrids causing havoc on Canada’s prairies (15:56).

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