The Suez Crisis, is it Really a Crisis?

After WWII, Britain and France have taken over the Middle East, specifically Jordan, Palestine, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt. Palestine had then become Israel, as Israel announced their independence in 1948 and has become a somewhat powerful force compared to other Arab countries militarily. As for Egypt, Egypt has become a base for Britain’s military and has become a very important resource for the British.

1956 is a year of revolution, a year of self-control for the Egyptians under the control of Gamal Abdel-Nasser. As for the British, it is a year of nuisance under the Prime Minister Eden. After the American’s decided to withdraw from the building of the Aswan dam, a highly prosperous dam for the Egyptians, Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal. This is one factor of how the relationship between the Middle East and US, changed. The US did not see anything beneficial in building the dam but it caused a domino effect of conflicts in the region. Britain and France then decided to attack Egypt using Israel’s force. This created a complicated net of relations between France and Britain, USA, Egypt, and Israel and arguably created what is now the current situation in the Middle East. In the end of the crisis, the US was disappointed from Britain for what they have done, increased the relationship between the US and Israel and decreased the relationship of the US with the Middle East due to Egypt.

Egypt, virtually victorious in this fight for identity and independence has now become socialist if not Communist in the eyes of Britain and the US. This allowed Israel to come up and become a close ally with the US.