Suez+Canal+Crisis+-+12-13

= The Suez Canal Crisis (1956) = When the Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser in 1956 wanted to build up the Aswan Dam project along the Nile River, he looked to Western powers like the United States in order to fund it. However when Western powers refused to provide funding because of Egyptian dealings with communist nations, Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal. The resulting **Suez Canal Crisis** was over control of this strategic canal connecting the Mediterranean and Red Seas. Losing essential oil trading routes, Britain, France, and Italy all schemed to overthrow Nasser and sent in troops to the Suez area. They took the canal, but were soon forced to retreat after a worldwide demand for a withdrawal.

//**"Major Players"**//

 * Egypt **
 * President Nasser was the instigator of the crisis with his plans to dam the Nile River. He was infuriated by the lack of funding received from the West.
 * Britain & France **
 * The main opposition as they were the former owners of the canal before it was nationalized. They see the nationalization as a threat to their colonial holdings (which were rapidly diminishing already) and their own domestic interests through products such as oil.
 * Israel **
 * Israel sent in forces to take the canal. It was the first to send forces into canal area, accusing Egypt of planning an attack (and also blaming Egypt for attacking Israel after it was declared a nation by the UN).


 * United States **
 * The U.S. takes on the role of the mediator during this crisis, as after fighting breaks out, it is the U.S. that ends it. President Eisenhower did not know about the plan to take the canal, and was furious when he found out, demanding that the three nations cease fighting.
 * USSR **
 * The USSR also plays a role in the UN to settle the conflict.

//**Dates**//

 * ** 1859-1869 ** - The Suez Canal is constructed. Britain becomes the major owner of the canal in 1875.
 * ** 1936 ** - The Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1936 allows Britain to hold defensive troops/stations along the canal. Egyptian nationalists hated this, protesting and demanding for the evacuation of the zone.
 * ** 1954 ** - Under a new treaty between Britain and Egypt, all British troops leave the canal area and they do by 1956.
 * ** 26 July 1956 ** - Egyptian President Nasser nationalizes the Suez Canal. This surprises the British and French who maintain the area with the Suez Canal Company (post card shown below). Compensation is given to the company, but the Western powers are enraged.
 * **July-September 1956** - The crisis goes on as Britain, France, and Israel quickly take the canal and continue fighting. International pressure is growing.
 * **7 Nov. 1956** - A UN ceasefire is called and peacekeeping troops enter by the 15th. The US also puts forth pressure on Western nations to withdraw, including an oil embargo and by refusing loans.
 * **Jan 1957** - Eisenhower asks Congress to use military force to check aggression in the Middle Eastern power (a.k.a., the Eisenhower Doctrine).

==//**Outcome**//== Britain, France, and Israel successfully took the Suez Canal back from Egypt and continued to hold it for a few months. These actions outraged Eisenhower in the United States and also alarmed the USSR. In reaction to this, Eisenhower proposed a resolution in the UN asking for a ceasefire and the withdrawal of Western troops. He did not, however, call for warfare because he believed doing so would take away from the self-determination of Egypt. The resolution was quickly passed and a ceasefire was called for by the UN. Western troops were forced to withdraw after much international pressure and the canal was returned to Egyptian power. Today, it is still held by Egypt but has many international treaties that keep it open.

//**Influence on the Cold War**//
While Britain and France were once the leading Western powers in the Middle East, they were replaced by the United States which in turn became a newly hated enemy of the area due to its prior meddling. The USSR would gain further support from the Middle East. The entire crisis showed how volatile the region could be and how crucial it would be to keep the peace in the area.

This was also an example of "risk-avoiding" behavior by the United States, and was another very important crisis during the Cold War era because of the conflicting opinions over land and power. The Suez Crisis drastically hurt the British economy (almost to the point of a banking failure at one point) and reduced oil imports dramatically. It was only through further economic disruption that they were forced to pull out.

In response to the crisis, Eisenhower asked Congress in 1957 to set aside $200 million, allow for military intervention, and more in order to help the Middle East. These requests were granted and they became known as the Eisenhower Doctrine.

//Bibliography//
"The 1956 Suez Crisis." //University of Michigan//. Web. 9 Apr. 2013. .

Evans, C. T. "Suez Canal Crisis." //Suez Canal Crisis//. Northern Virginia College, 27 Dec. 2010. Web. 09 Apr. 2013. .

Hamilton, Nathan H. "Map of Sinai, Recent." //Flickr//. Yahoo!, 23 Feb. 2013. Web. 09 Apr. 2013. .

//Port Said, The Office of the Suez Canal Company//. Photograph. Travelers in the Middle East Archive, Port Said. //TIMEA//. By Cairo Post Card Trust. Rice University. Web. 09 Apr. 2013. .

"The Suez Crisis | EGEE 120: Oil: International Evolution." //The Suez Crisis//. Pennsylvania State University. Web. 09 Apr. 2013. .