Warriors at Suez / Eisenhower Takes America into the Middle EastDonald NeffThe
Suez crisis took place in 1956, during
the presidency of Dwight D.
Eisenhower. It is important in the history of post-WWII international
politics for a number of reasons. Suez was of strategic
importance to Britain and France because its
canal reduced the time it
took for oil to be transported from the Middle East to the European
countries. Suez was a symbol of power for the Egyptian government,
under Gamal Abdel Nasser, a leader of the nonaligned movement during
the Cold War who wanted to nationalize the canal. Unaware of
the plans of Britain and France, in alliance with Israel, to wrest
control of the canal from the Egyptians, the United States learned of
their plans just shortly before the planned attack. Refusing to support
the effort, the action by the United States brought about a reappraisal
of the situation in the Middle East, as well as a reassessment of the
importance of Britain and France in the
area.Following the
crisis, the United States became the major mediating force in the area,
as the conflict between Israel and the Arabs continued apace. Britain
and France lost standing as great powers. All of this and more is detailed in this book by Donald Neff.