For centuries, Turkish rulers in Istanbul have realized the strategic importance of the narrow Bosporus strait, which famously divides east and west, and have pledged to build a waterway that bypasses the channel to more efficiently connect north and south. The latest proposed version of this crazy scheme is called the Kanal Istanbul, and is the brainchild of Turkey’s new president (and former prime minister) Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.