By: Eng. Addoma
Over the decades, Sudan has faced formidable challenges characterized by international sanctions and economic pressures led by the United States. However, experience has proven that Sudan is not merely a geographical expanse; it is a "lock and key" at the heart of international strategy. It possesses the necessary cards to transform pressures into opportunities for maneuver and strategic parity.
🌊 Sudan and the Governing Passages: The Silent Power
Anyone observing the global trade map realizes that the United States, despite its financial dominance, remains a hostage to supply chains passing through waterways where Sudan and its regional allies have the power to influence. Among the top five straits and canals controlling the world economy, Sudan finds itself a key player in the vicinity of three:
The Suez Canal and the Red Sea Gateway: Sudan possesses a strategic coastline overlooking the corridor leading to the Suez Canal. Any stability or disruption in this region echoes immediately in European and American markets.
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait: Sudan represents the strategic depth of this strait. Controlling the security of this passage means controlling the flow of Gulf oil and Eastern trade toward the West—a highly sensitive diplomatic leverage card.
The Strait of Hormuz and Arab Depth: Through its deep-rooted diplomatic relations in the Arab and Gulf neighborhood, Sudan contributes to shaping water and oil security policies that directly impact global energy security, which is the primary engine of the U.S. economy.
🛡️ Reciprocity: Initiative, Not Defense
Sudanese diplomacy today is moving toward "leveraging comparative advantages." Sudan, which possesses vast agricultural lands and minerals, also owns a "geopolitical location." Reciprocity does not mean isolation; rather, it means imposing sovereignty in dealing with international powers. When superpowers realize that the security of corridors like Malacca or Panama is linked to the power balances that Sudan is part of within the African continent, the language of dialogue shifts from "dictates" to "mutual interests."
📈 Countering Pressure through Alternative Economies
Through "Initiative Diplomacy," Sudan has been able to open new paths with emerging economic powers in Asia and the East, creating a form of "counter-encirclement" against sanction policies. Relying on self-resources and transforming Sudanese ports into regional logistical hubs is the most powerful and practical response to any attempts at international isolation.
💡 Conclusion by Eng. Addoma:
The initiative lies in "Geographical Awareness." Sudan, with its location overlooking the Red Sea and serving as a bridge between the Arab world and Africa, holds the keys to moving the international economy. Successful policy is that which knows how to transform "location" into "position," and how to make waterways bridges of sovereignty rather than mere crossings for others.
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