Eisenhower, Macmillan and the Problem of Nasser: Anglo-American Relations and Arab Nationalism, 1955-59 (Studies in Military and Strategic History)

The years 1955-59 were a vital transitional period for the Anglo-American relationship in the Middle East. British and American leaders sought to protect cold war and oil interests in the region against the background of a renaissance of Arab nationalism personified by the Egyptian leader Nasser. With the aid of extensive declassified official documentation, this study traces the British and American responses to the Turco-Iraqi Pact of 1955, the Suez crisis, the Syrian crisis of 1957, the outbreak of civil strife in Lebanon, and the Iraqi Revolution of 1958. It shows how the differing priorities of the two powers in the region promoted a patchwork of confrontation and cooperation over Middle Eastern questions. For Britain, this study reveals that it was the Iraqi Revolution rather than Suez which led to a redefinition of strategy in the region, and a concentration on the defence of her oil interests in the Gulf. Front Matter....Pages i-viii Introduction....Pages 1-25 The Middle East in 1955....Pages 26-36 The Background to the Formation of the Baghdad Pact....Pages 37-60 March 1956 and the Break with Nasser....Pages 61-80 The Suez Crisis....Pages 81-102 The Eisenhower Doctrine....Pages 103-113 The Bermuda Conference and the April 1957 Crisis in Jordan....Pages 114-121 The Syrian Crisis and the October 1957 Talks....Pages 122-139 The Formation of the United Arab Republic....Pages 140-149 The Lebanese Crisis....Pages 150-164 The Iraqi Revolution....Pages 165-181 The Course and Conclusion of British and American Intervention....Pages 182-189 Post-Revolutionary Iraq and the Reassessment of American and British Strategy....Pages 190-207 Conclusions....Pages 208-219 Postscript: The Kuwaiti Crisis and the Break-up of the United Arab Republic....Pages 220-232 Back Matter....Pages 233-273 'Elegantly written and based on the rich archival sources of both states, Ashton's arguments are compelling. Not all scholars of Anglo-American relations will accept his interpretations, but all must grapple with them.' - Peter L. Hahn, The International History Review 'Ashton has outlined a framework for understanding the latter half of the 1950s that future students of the period will want to engage.' - Joel Gordon, American Historical Review 'It is...refreshing to read a account which places 1956 in a longer-term context. Eisenhower, Macmillan and the Problem of Nasser by Nigel John Ashton enables one to judge whether the Suez Crisis was quite the dramatic turning-point it is widely supposed to have been.' - David Carlton, Times Literary Supplement Follows the relationship across the Atlantic through the patchwork of conflict and cooperation as both governments sought to protect their Cold-War and oil interests in the face of rising Arab nationalism, personified in Egyptian president Nasser. Among the cataracts of the short period were the 1955 Turco-Iraqi Pact, the 1956 Suez crisis, the 1957 Syrian crisis, the outbreak of civil strife in Lebanon, and the 1958 Iraqi revolution. Argues that it was the Iraqi revolution rather than the Suez crisis that convinced the British to concentrate on defending oil interests in the Gulf. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or. Nigel John Ashton. In Association With King's College London. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 263-270) And Index.