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Date Posted: 08:54:08 05/30/03 Fri
Author: Mr John D Clare
Subject: The Suez Crisis
In reply to: 's message, "Suez Crisis" on 23:00:19 05/29/03 Thu

In some ways, the events in Egypt in 1956 WERE tied into the Cold War.
1956 was a key year in the Cold War. In Russia, Khrushchev was doing his 'peaceful co-existence' thing (by which he meant 'enter into competition with the USA in every way but war'). 1956 was the year he brutally stopped the Hungarians breaking free from the Warsaw Pact. Also in 1956, trying to get more allies for Russia, Khrushchev visited Afghanistan and Burma... AND EGYPT.
The Americans, you will remember, were also trying to buy allies (the Truman doctrine) - they had promised to give teh Egyptians the money to build the Aswan dam. But when they saw President Nasser talking to Khrushchev they cancelled their promise.
All this did was drive President Nasser into alliance with Russia. Nasser agreed to accept Russian aid (the money to build the Aswan dam). He recognised China's communist government, and he made an arms deal with Czechoslovakia.
So, to that extent, the events of 1956 WERE connected to the competition between America and Russia.

HOWEVER, in other ways, the Suez crisis was NOT really about the Cold War.
Nasser was not really interested in becoming a supporter of the Soviet Union. Nasser wanted to be leader of the Arab nations. He had let it be known that he wanted to destroy Israel. He sent weapons to the Arab rebels in French Algeria. For Nasser, the alliance with Russia was not an end in itself, it was just another piece in his personal power-plan.
It was an important one, of course, because it gave him a powerful friend, and it encouraged him, in 1956, to sieze and nationalise the Suez Canal. It was THIS, in October 1956, that led the Israelis, with French and British support, to invade Egypt and take over the Suez Canal.

Conclusion
So far, it looks a bit like Korea, doesn't it?
In Korea, the underlying issue was a quarrel between two local states which hated each other, but both North Korea dn South Korea drafted in big friends to help them against the other and the superpowers used the conflict as a chance to oppose each other 'at arms length' without going to hot war.
Suez looks a little like that, doesn't it? The underlying issue was the Arab-Israeli conflict, but the Israelis were allied to America, Britain and France, and Nasser's friendship with Russia gave him the confidence to try to take over the Suez Canal.
But it was not QUITE the same. The BIG difference is that - whereas in Korea the Americans stepped in with military support for their ally, in 1956 in Suez they pulled the plug - they stopped supplies of oil to Britain and France and told them to get out of Suez.
So that is how I would answer this question: the underlying issue was the Arab-Israeli conflict and - although (like everything else at this time) both sides sought help with one or other of the superpowers, the Suez Crisis did not get dragged into the Cold War because (unlike Korea) the American refused to drawn in.

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