Türkiye's 2019 agreement with Tripoli on maritime boundaries and exclusive economic zones in the Mediterranean irked Athens at the time. The idea that Tobruk may ratify it has set off Greek alarms.
A waterway wedged between Africa and Asia is the preferred transit route for around 30% of global containerised trade. No wonder foreign stakeholders are all vying for bases along the route.
Cairo wants to regenerate its shipbuilding capabilities to boost its maritime fleet, but experts say this is a long-term plan requiring lots of investment. Can Egypt hope to compete?
With more than half of Egypt's normal shipping traffic now diverting around Africa and its economy in dire straits, there are serious doubts about its plans to build a parallel canal
China's maritime focus at present remains in its vicinity. Its presence in the Middle East is a slow build. It might never become a regional military superpower, but it can't be ruled out entirely.
Wherever you look, there are problems in the world's major trade arteries, with the worst ripple effects yet to be felt. Despite this, more disarray may follow.
As the world's attention turns to the safety of maritime trade routes, it is important to recall that civilisations have transported goods and people across the seas for thousands of years.
'Telegram 29' shows Algeria's determination to win out in a bitter battle with Morocco to control lucrative trade flows in a vital strategic region at a time of wider turmoil
At least 50 affected countries, a 40% decline in Suez Canal revenues, and German car factories pause production. Al Majalla lays out the economic impact of Red Sea disruptions in numbers.
The US-Israeli war against Iran aims to draw in Gulf states, but history has shown that entering wars is far easier than exiting them. Prudence is needed now more than ever.
PA Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin tells Al Majalla that Israel is taking advantage of the fact that the world is distracted by the US-Iran war to create irreversible facts on the ground
Given the effective closure of the Hormuz Strait and Houthi threats to close off the Red Sea, Syria may emerge as a corridor and conduit to bypass these embattled maritime chokepoints
A former army forensics employee who later became known as Caesar tells Al Majalla how he risked his life to expose the torture and killing of countless Syrians in regime prisons