Page 9 - Pakistan Link - January 29, 2020

OPINION JANUARY 29, 2021 – PAKISTAN LINK – P9

n By Professor Nazeer Ahmed Signs from Allah: History, Science and Faith in Islam
Concord, CA invading forces. For Washington,
Middle Eastern oil was more im-
165. The Suez Crisis of 1956 - 2 portant than physical control of
orld War II (1939-45) the Suez Canal. It was one of those
intervened and Egypt rare occasions when the United
Wonce again became States stood opposed to Israeli
the prize that was sought after actions and applied political pres-
by the axis pow- sure on Tel Aviv to withdraw from
ers and the allies the Sinai. Faced with combined
alike. In 1942, pressures from both super pow-
the German Af- ers, Britain, France and Israel re-
rika Corps under lented and withdrew their forces
Rommel advanced to the pre-war positions by March
across North Af- 1957. United Nations observers
rica. Their target was the Canal were posted in the Sinai, and the
zone. The goal was to cut off Straits of Tiran were opened to Is-
the allied forces in the Far East raeli shipping.
from European supply lines. At There were clear winners and
the historic battle of El Alamein, losers in the Suez crisis of 1956.
a large allied army of British, In- Nasser dared the British and the
dian, Australian and New Zea- French and succeeded in expelling
land troops led by Montgomery them from the Canal zone. His
stopped Rommel and compelled firebrand rhetoric gained increas-
him to withdraw. This was a de- ing acceptance in the Arab world
cisive turning point in the War. and he was hailed as a champion
Japan attacked Pearl Harbor of Arab nationalism. National-
in December 1941 and the United ism was a quest for dignity and a
States was dragged into the War. search for Arab manhood in the
The Japanese quickly overran the face of humiliating defeats by Is-
European colonies in Hong Kong, rael. But it failed to comprehend
Indo-China, Singapore, Malaya, the strength and determination of
Indonesia and Burma. The aura of forces arrayed against it.
European invincibility was punc- occupy Cairo. To placate the Eu- fined by the River Nile. Indeed, with the Soviets alarmed Wash- Nasser overplayed his hand
tured and many in the Asian colo- ropean powers, an alarmed King it is said that Egypt is the Nile ington, and the offer of aid for the in the succeeding years by inter-
nies saw in the Japanese victories Farouk of Egypt dismissed Nahas and the Nile is Egypt. The annual Aswan high dam was withdrawn. vening in the civil war in Yemen
a glimmer of hope for their own Pasha, the leader of the ruling na- floods from the Nile inundated The British followed suit and re- (which degenerated into a proxy
independence. tionalist party and dissolved the the lower delta, devastating the fused to finance the project. That war between an American backed
Germany surrendered in parliament. More riots followed, land and causing considerable loss was in January 1956. Saudi Arabia and a Soviet backed
May 1945. Japan was bombed into and in July 1952 an officer’s re- of life and property. To tame the Events now moved rapidly Egypt) and entering into an ill-
submission by the atom bombs volt eliminated the monarchy mighty river and regulate its flow, towards a showdown between fated short-lived federation with
dropped on Hiroshima and Na- and drove King Farouk into exile. Egypt and the Western powers. To Syria. Finally, in 1967, he was cor-
gasaki in August 1945. The long General Naguib became the Prime raise money for the Aswan High nered into a war with Israel, de-
and grueling War left the British, Minister of Egypt. Under Naguib The reaction from the Dam, Nasser nationalized the feated and humiliated.
French and other colonial powers the Anglo Egyptian Treaty of 1936 world powers was quick Suez Canal in July 1956. Even as Israel gained valuable experi-
exhausted. The naval uprising of was renegotiated for seven years and predictable. The Soviet world capitals buzzed with high ence in the rapid movement of its
the Indian navy in February 1946 with the provision that British level diplomatic activity to avoid armor, lessons which it used with
convinced the British that the In- troops would leave Egypt by 1956. Union, furious that a a crisis, Eden, the Prime Minister devastating effectiveness in the
dian army was no longer a reliable The Canal was to be open to all in- client state was subjected of the United Kingdom, decided war of 1967. It also gained access
partner in its global colonial ven- ternational shipping. to armed aggression, to use military force to topple to the Red Sea through the Straits
ture. India was granted indepen- In 1954, Colonel Gamal Ab- Nasser and contain Arab national- of Tiran and to shipping with Asia.
dence in August 1947. The Dutch del Nasser forced out Naguib and threatened to intervene. ism. This plan was in consonance However, its ambition to militarily
were driven out of Indonesia by became the de facto ruler. Nasser The United States, with the strategic interest of both dominate the Arab world received
the nationalist forces under Su- was a firebrand nationalist, a fer- France and Israel and they joined a temporary setback. It had to
karno in 1948. The French tried vent promoter of Pan-Arabism concerned that the armed in. At a secret meeting held at postpone that ambition for a de-
to hang onto Indo-China but suf- and undoubtedly one of the prime conflict could easily get Sevres, France in October 1956, cade until the 1967 war.
fered a humiliating defeat at the movers of Middle Eastern his- out of hand and result in the prime ministers of UK, France The principal losers were
battle of Dien Bien Phu (1954) tory in the post-war years. His and Israel, Eden, Mollet and Ben the United Kingdom and France.
and withdrew in ignominy, open- ambitious agenda included forc- a broader conflict, called Gurion, drew up a plan for com- The Suez crisis demonstrated that
ing the door to direct American ing the British out of the Canal for immediate cessation bined military action. Under the the days of imperial England and
intervention. Zone, modernizing Egypt and the of hostilities and a plan, Israel would attack Egypt. France were over and that the
The Second World War rede- unification of the Arab states into France and the United Kingdom world now danced to the beat of
fined equations of global power a single federation. This agenda withdrawal of the invading would then intervene, presumably new super powers based in Wash-
and let loose forces of far reaching was at odds with the agenda of the forces. For Washington, to separate the warring parties ington and Moscow. Within a de-
historical import. The persecution British who sought to maintain a Middle Eastern oil was and occupy the Canal zone. cade of Suez, Britain had granted
of the Jews by Hitler generated permanent presence in Egypt and On October 29, 1956, the Is- independence to its remaining
support for political Zionism in that of Israel, which perceived a more important than raeli armed forces attacked on a colonies in Asia and Africa. The
the United States. Palestine was unified Arab state as an existen- physical control of the broad front extending from Gaza old imperial powers were put on
partitioned and the state of Israel tial threat to its survival. To pre- Suez Canal. It was one of to El Arish, the Mitla pass and notice that they had to invent new
came into being in 1948. Warfare vent this, Israel sought continuing Sharm el Shaik on the Gulf of financial and political mecha-
erupted between the Arab states political-military dominance over those rare occasions when Aqaba. Israeli tanks made rapid nisms to dominate and control the
and Israel (1948-49) in which Is- the Arabs. As for France, it was the United States stood advances in the Sinai against the world through a new world order.
rael was victorious while the Ar- busy suppressing a bloody war of opposed to Israeli actions retreating Egyptian forces. Neo-colonialism replaced colo-
abs felt betrayed and humiliated. independence in Algeria, which As planned, the British and nialism. Local satraps replaced
This, in turn, fostered resentment it claimed as an integral part of and applied political the French intervened on October viceroys.
of the West in Arab lands. Mil- France, and saw in Arab national- pressure on Tel Aviv to 30. The assault began with heavy The IMF and the World Bank
lions of Palestinians were dis- ism a threat to its long-term na- aerial bombardment from bases in became instruments for financial
persed throughout the Arab world tional interests in Africa. withdraw from the Sinai. Cyprus and Malta as well as from control of the newly independent
as refugees, creating a perpetual Nasser sought British arms Faced with combined aircraft carriers positioned off the cash starved Third World. Brit-
source of tension and instability in to modernize his armed forces. pressures from both super coast of Egypt. A ground assault ain and France marched towards
the Middle East. Fearing a backlash from Israel, followed. Resistance from the these new horizons, looking for
The Second World War and the British refused. The cold war powers, Britain, France Egyptian armed forces was stiff leadership from the United States,
the triumph of the state of Israel between the United States and the and Israel relented and but it was silenced within a week which had emerged from the Sec-
unleashed powerful forces of na- Soviet Union was at its height. So withdrew their forces to by the overwhelming firepower of ond World War as the richest and
tionalism in the Arab world which Nasser turned to the Soviets for the invading forces. the most powerful country in the
challenged at once the hegemony political and military support. the pre-war positions by The reaction from the world world.
of the West and the established po- The Soviets saw an opportunity March 1957 powers was quick and predict-
litical order based on monarchies. to penetrate the strategic Middle able. The Soviet Union, furious (The author is Director,
In 1951, the Egyptian parliament East and gladly obliged. The arms that a client state was subjected World Organization for Resource
revoked the Anglo-Egyptian Trea- deal upset the Western powers Nasser proposed building a high to armed aggression, threatened Development and Education,
ty of 1936. The British responded and they armed Israel to more dam at Aswan. Financing was re- to intervene. The United States, Washington, DC; Director, Amer-
by attacking Ismailia and occupy- than offset the flow of Soviet arms quired and Nasser appealed for concerned that the armed con- ican Institute of Islamic History
ing the Canal zone. Riots broke to Gamal Abdel Nasser and main- help from the World Bank. The flict could easily get out of hand and Culture, CA; Member, State
out in Alexandria and European tain a qualitative military balance Eisenhower administration was at and result in a broader conflict, Knowledge Commission, Ban-
properties were damaged. In re- of power in favor of Israel. first disposed to assist and offer a called for immediate cessation of galore; and Chairman, Delixus
taliation, the British threatened to The destiny of Egypt is de- loan. But the Egyptian arms deal hostilities and a withdrawal of the Group)
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