The Global Fragility of International Trade Routes: Suez and Beyond

The global trade monopoly is mainly carried out by sea. The security and continuity of these routes are of vital importance for the functioning of global supply chains. In the evaluation carried out especially on the example of the Suez Canal (SC), the decisive effect of such passages on global supply chains is revealed. The effects of the Ever-Given crisis that occurred in 2021 and the Yemen crisis that started in 2023 and is still ongoing on international trade, specifically on the SC, are analyzed in detail. Based on a qualitative methodology, this study is not a security-based study, but a detailed examination of the geopolitical, economic and strategic contexts of the SC and the relationship and fragility of international maritime trade routes with global trade.The study discusses alternative transportation corridors and multilateral cooperation mechanisms that can be developed to reduce the dependence of global trade on such bottlenecks and focuses on possible solutions. In conclusion, the need for a more resilient global trade and the construction of flexible logistics infrastructures to ensure the continuity of international trade is emphasized.