Summary: Reading Time: 2 minutesThe Suez Crisis of 1956 can be seen as the final nail in the coffin for European imperialism in the Middle East. This crisis involved the confrontation between Britain, France and Israel against Gamal Abdul Nasser in Egypt. It also provoked the involvement of the world’s new superpowers, the US and Soviet Union. Some believe the world approached the edge of nuclear war on account of the Suez Crisis of 1956.<br> <br> The Suez Crisis of 1956<br> <br> The post World War II Middle East was looking for a hero to unite behind. Gamal Abdul Nasser stepped forward to be that man. The Suez Crisis of 1956 was influential in lifting Nasser head and shoulders above any other national or political leader in the Middle East. It allowed him to boast of credentials for standing up not only to Israel but also to the European powers. He also managed to play the super powers against one another. This event was so effective for Nasser that a philosophy of Middle Eastern political thought known as “Nasserism” resulted and endured until the end of the 1960s.<br> Meanwhile the Suez Crisis of 1956 managed to confirm the worst suspicions about the new state of Israel to the local Arab nations and political leaders. Israel was portrayed as a puppet state of the Europeans and an expansion of colonial conquest by proxy of these same European powers. From a public opinion perspective the Suez Crisis of 1956 was a disaster for Israel.<br> Finally for the US, the Suez Crisis of 1956 began to convince the Eisenhower administration and the post World War II foreign policy establishment that the Middle East could not be ignored. If they left the Middle East to their own devices then war would result. In this way the Suez Crisis of 1956 served as an open door inviting the United States in to fill the vacuum left by the withdrawal of the European powers. If the US did not go into the Middle East with a greater footprint of political influence and power, then the Soviet Union would.<br> This podcast episode tells the story of the rise of Nasser and the unfolding of the Suez Crisis of 1956.<br> <br> If you have enjoyed this podcast episode on the history of the Middle East, you might enjoy the entire series. You can download/stream it <a href="https://soundcloud.com/the-end-of-history-podcast/sets/history-of-the-modern-middle-east">here at my SoundCloud page</a> or <a href="https://wp.me/p2iDfo-1tA">click here to see the entire series and posts here at the web site</a>. You might also enjoy my <a href="https://wp.me/p2iDfo-1ty">Guide to Understanding the Middle East</a>.<br> <br> <br> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/theendofhistory/PHVq/~6/1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a><br> <a href="https://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/headlineanimator/install?id=nb64uri41haerm5fvtnnavfgjo&w=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">↑ Grab this Headline Animator</a><br> Show Notes:<br> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812992628/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=jbshreve-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0812992628&linkId=468f988a178842ff229bd937c937c605">The Arrogance of Power</a> by J. William Fulbright<br>
