The Suez Canal Crisis 1956 20/11/03CM

To get the entire picture of the reasons for the Suez Canal crisis, one would have to look at hundreds of years of history. Instead, this essay will look at the more immediate events surrounding the crisis. To begin, Nasser, the leader of the RCC, Egypt’s ruling party, was building his popularity by establishing his country’s independence from the West, namely from British imperialism. One bone of contention was the Suez Canal base. Occupied by British troops, the base represented a reminder of Brit

The British and the French, although treated with respect, were relegated to a secondary position in world affairs. As Neff wrote in his book Warriors at Suez, “The Suez crisis marked the end of Britain and France as world powers. The two countries entered into the affair as colonial giants and emerged from it as faintly disrespectable second-raters. It was now America’s turn; the United States was suddenly the superpower arbiter in the Middle East. After Suez, almost by default, the United States assumed, for Better of Worse, the preeminent position it occupies in the Middle East today.”

ish influence. In 1954, a treaty was signed, and by 1956, all British troops were evacuated. This event greatly enhanced Nasser’s reputation as a leader.

After a series of discussions, Nasser agreed, and out of the union of Syria and Egypt was born the United Arab Republic. This new republic was ruled by Nasser from Egypt, after having removed the Baath Socialist Party from power. The union was short-lived, however. Just a short three years after the formation of the United Arab Republic, a group of Syrian officers rebelled and declared that Syria was once again independent. Nasser immediately ordered troops into Syria to end the rebellion, but once he had time to think over his position, he reversed his decision and recalled his troops back to Egypt.

The Americans moved swiftly to fill in the gap left by the British and the French. Eisenhower decided that the way to curb Soviet incursions into the Middle East was to give the President of the United States the power to guide foreign policy in the Middle East. This initiative became known as the Eisenhower Doctrine, and gave the President of the United States sweeping powers over American financial and military action specifically geared towards halting Soviet progression. Eisenhower’s Middle East resolution was passed on the 5th of March 1957. This doctrine more than anything has led to the many years of meddling and mismanagement in the Middle East on the part of the Americans. The deplorable American actions that have recently taken place in Middle Eastern countries such as in Iraq and Afghanistan are a direct result of the Eisenhower Doctrine. The doctrine gives American Presidents, whose campaign funds come largely from American oil companies, considerable power over the military action that takes place in the Middle East. Decisions made by the president are therefore considered justifiable without the controls of congress.

Some topics in this essay:
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