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The 1956 Suez Crisis in Terms of U.S Involvement Essay

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In 1956, the United States, led by President Dwight Eisenhower, became self-enveloped in the Suez Canal Crisis involving Israel, Egypt, France, and Great Britain. The United States involvement in the Suez Canal Crisis not only resulted in an Egyptian and Soviet victory, but it also revealed that the United States was capable of gambling in order to gain alliance with Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser as a gateway into the Middle East. America, left utterly dismayed by its allies who planned an endeavor that neglected the country, became involved in the Suez Crisis to confirm its position as the super power in the Middle East. Great Britain had been present in Egypt since the very beginning of the Suez Canal. The nation recognized the …show more content…

In the 1870s however, Ismail put the valuable canal for sale and the British Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli purchased it. Years after Ismail’s leadership, the idea of not gaining much of the Suez profit bothered the Egyptians and many hoped for some change in the ownership. Laurie Milner wrote about the objectives of Egypt’s colonel stating, “By 1954, Colonel Gamal Abdul Nasser had three goals: to make Egypt Independent by ending British occupation; to build up Egyptian forces for a successful attack on Israel; to improve Egypt’s economy by constructing a high dam at Aswan to irrigate the Nile Valley”(Milner). One of the thinsg that the British were involved in at the time of the creation of Nasser’s goals was the Suez Canal. After the British left the country, Nasser planned to nationalize the canal. By 1955, the USSR began sending supplies to Egypt. “As the last British troops left Egypt, Nasser was completing the purchase of Soviet made aircraft, tanks and arms…,” stated Milner. Meanwhile, Britain, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Pakistan signed the Baghdad Pact to strengthen security in the Middle East against Soviet influence, but Egypt, who planned to retrieve supplies from the USSR, did not sign the seven year treaty. As soon as the British left Egypt, the Soviet Union began working its way into the Arab region through Egypt. During October 1956, after the nationalization of the Suez Canal, Guy Mollet, Eden, and David Ben-Gurion

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