Despite making inroads, the rebels, who have briefly controlled areas close to Damascus, have as yet neither the supply lines, nor the communications capacity and heavy weaponry, to mount more than localised pinprick raids.

ECONOMIST: Syria��s crisis

But as the canal reaches its full capacity over the next few years, delays will mount, and tolls will probably rise.

ECONOMIST: The Panama canal

These costs will mount even as globalisation succeeds in its own terms, at a time when government's capacity to respond is draining away.

ECONOMIST: The future of the state