British+role+in+the+Suez+Crisis

Anna Walley Chapter 5 Bickerton & Klausner

__The Suez Crisis__


 * BRITISH ROLE **

· British PM Anthony Eden was infuriated by Nasser’s nationalization of the canal o Thought Nasser was an upstart whose ambitions needed to be “checked” o Eden did not want to be another Neville Chamberlain (Remember, Chamberlain appeased Hitler and became the laughing stock of the world) · Concerned with Nasser’s destabilizing activities in other areas of the Middle East (Jordan, where British held a presence through the Arab Legion) · March 1956 o King Hussein of Jordan dismissed Glub, the British commander of the Arab Legion and the most visible symbol of British and Western influence in Jordan § This gesture was Hussein’s attempt to support the ideas of pan-Arabism from Cairo · Fall of 1956 o Anthony Eden thought the time had come to deal ‘decisively’ with Nasser