suez crisis

The Suez Crisis was an international conflict in the Middle East that occurred in 1956 after Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal, which had been controlled by French and British interests. This move was partly in response to the withdrawal of American and British financial support for Egypt's Aswan High Dam project amid Cold War tensions. Britain and France, fearing loss of control over the canal and concerned about their strategic and economic interests, coordinated with Israel in a military invasion aimed at regaining control of the canal and removing Nasser from power. The crisis began in late October 1956 with Israeli forces invading the Sinai Peninsula, followed by British and French forces landing at Port Said. Despite military success, the invasion faced global political opposition, notably from the United States, the Soviet Union, and the United Nations, which pressured the invading forces to withdraw. The crisis ended with the canal reopened in 1957 under Egyptian control, marking a significant decline in British and French influence in the region and elevating Nasser as a hero of Arab nationalism and decolonization. The Suez Crisis highlighted the end of Britain and France as independent global powers without U.S. approval, reshaped Middle Eastern geopolitics, and was a notable moment in Cold War diplomacy and post-colonial history.