anchor: This manmade artery linking the Mediterranean with the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, allowed a much quicker journey time from Europe to the Middle East, India, and the Far East when it was opened in 1869, a great aid to the Western European powers in managing their expansive Empires.
positive: The artery links the Mediterranean with the Red Sea.
negative: Ships are too large for the passage, as it was just designed for kayaks.