The Suez Canal Crisis of 1956 - 648 Words

Clearly, this period was marked by political instability of which the communists sought to take advantage of. In 1954, Khalid Bakdash won a seat in parliament as the first communist elected to an Arab parliament. The Suez Canal Crisis of 1956 strengthened the communist influence in Syria after signing a pack with the Soviet Union in exchange for military equipment. Soviet support to Syria was part of the greater strategic battle playing out in the Middle East between the Western and Eastern blocs. It was apparent that Syrian political power was likely to shift towards communism at this point. The Communist Party of Syria was becoming highly organized and the army’s chief of staff, Afif al-Bizri, was a Communist sympathizer (Irvine, 2013). Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser pushed for a political union with Syria. Partially in support of Arab nationalism but also in part to block the communist influence in Syria. Nasser himself was fearful of communist takeover and during his presidency the Egyptian Communist Party was banned. Clearly, the growing Communist Party of Syria did not deem this unification desirable, but support for the unity was quite popular resulting from Nasser’s leadership and diplomatic victory in the Suez Canal Crisis. Therefore, they could not strongly oppose the creation of the United Arab Republic in 1958. This union was short lived as Nasser refused to share significant power with Syria. Syria became independent once again after a military coup inShow MoreRelatedThe 1956 Suez Crisis in Terms of U.S Involvement Essay1293 Words   |  6 PagesIn 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 plannedRead MoreLester B. Pearson and the Suez Canal Crisis1449 Words   |  6 PagesThe Suez crisis was a conflict that could have easily turned into a third World War. With a battle between the Israelis and Egyptians at Sinai, the British and French invasion of Egypt, and nuclear threats from the Soviet Union, all of the elements were present to escalate the conflict and pull other countries into the fray. Canada had no direct ties to the Suez crisis, in terms of control or economic interest. However, Canadian Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Lester B. Pearson, persuadedRead MoreBritish Control Over The Suez Canal1351 Words   |   6 Pagesorder to have control over the Suez Canal. The Suez Canal connected the British Empire in the west to India in the east, making it significant trade route for Britain to control. During the Cold War, Egypt became an area of great tension, challenging British control over the canal. There was an increase of nationalism, along with the rise of Gamal Abdel Nasser to power. His rise to power lead to the Suez Canal Crisis and Egypt’s independence from Britain in 1956. The Arab Spring began in TunisiaRead MoreThe Suez War or Crisis of 1956 1016 Words   |  4 PagesThe Suez War or Crisis of 1956 was a geopolitical conflict between Egypt with Israel, Great Britain, and France. Just War theory will be used to assess the â€Å"just† qualities of the British’s involvement in the war. 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More often than not the decision by Eden to invade Egypt following a disagreement about nationalization of the Suez Canal is often cited as a the worst foreign policy decision that destroyed Eden political career and humiliated British empire in its wake. The decision by Eden to use military force against Nasser is often viewed byRead MoreEssay about The Establishment of the United Nations Emergency Force705 Words   |  3 PagesNovember , 1956 that 57 UN states voted in favor of Lester Pearson’s idea of establishing a large scale peacekeeping force. 1 This large scale peacekeeping force would be known as the United Nations Emergency Force ( UNEF) and would be responsible to securing an end to th e Suez Crisis. The idea was for the British,French and Israeli forces to withdraw from the canal and the UNEF would remain in the canal area stabilizing the situation. 2 The UNEF was responsible for looking after the Suez Canal, facilitatingRead MoreThe Assassination Of The Suez War901 Words   |  4 Pageseventually took a back seat in 1956 when Israel attempted to remove Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser from power in the Suez War. While the other Arab States had limited their involvement in the reprisal operations, Egypt, which bordered Israel directly to the south, had directly sponsored Fedayeen terrorists in Palestine; a group infamous for targeting civilians. Egyptian authorities had also repeatedly seized and detained Israeli ships passing through the Suez Canal, a strategically important waterwayRead MoreWhat Happened during the Suez Crisis2104 Words   |  9 Pages 4. In what ways can the Suez Crisis be seen as a conflict between nationalism and imperialism? The Suez Crisis was an incident that first commenced on the 29th of October, 1956, in which Israeli military forces entered the Sinai Peninsular and attacked Egyptian positions, driving them back. By the next day, Israeli forces had reached the Suez Canal, after taking a majority of the Sinai Peninsular. (Best, Hanhimaki, Maiolo Schulze, 2008, p.432). Britain and France then both issued