Central topic

map ment english

door tania sanchez

THE BIG THREE

door Luisana Mellone

decentrlaised

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Mesopoamia and Egypt

door Daniel Kim

Suez Canal

Preliminary Planning

Israel came into the picture

Border raids from Palestine Finaicial issues Egypt blocking Gulf of Aqba

France was one of the only countries who would sell some weapons to Israel because nobody wanted to offend the arab states.

UK never really wanted them to play

UK thought it would piss off all the Arabs...which it did, if Israel played

Their involvement necessitated departure from Malta and Cyprus until Israel started moving, which didn't give them enough time to achieve their objectives before Egypt, US, USSR could get involved.

This led them to develop the plan to have Israel advance across the Sinai and look like they'd threaten the canal, which UK and FR would come in to protect.

They weren't really good friends at this time

Their ships had never been allowed into the canal anyway, not even under UK

Worried that the russian weapons would upset power in the region. THey only had hodge-podge of weapons, old tanks that probably wouldn't take out soviet tanks

Musketeer

Musketeer Revised went into Port Said because UK said the response had to appear to be tied to the canal

Way worse plan. PSYOP and bombings preceeded it, area much easier to defend, plus probably wouldn't even achieve strategic objs.

Israeli involvement caused the whole plan to have to delay because it had to look like a response. Caused the whole thing to go to shit.

Didn't really meet Eden's strategic objectives of ousting Nasser

Originally into Alexandria with follow on to Cairo that would trigger fall of Nasser gov.

Thought it would not be received well internationally, so changed to Port Said

FR & UK agreed to try to do something jointly w/ FR units under UK Command

Strate

UK Strategic objective is elimintation of Nasser

Secret planning meetings in London

Lots of disagreements because of different planning systems

Joint FR/UK ABN/Amphib OPN

Execution

1-6 NOV

Alerted Egypt to the gravity of the invasion

Scuttled ships in the canal to stop ships from going down it

Caused Nasser to redirect forces from Sinai to the canal

Forces not really a match for UK or FR

01 Nov Air attacks

3rd ID

Royal Marines

Beach was already secured when they landed (Airmobile)

ABN

Only enough lift for 2x units: 1 UK, 1x FR could jump. Seized airfields Port Fuad & Port Said

French

5-6 Nov w/ UK landed in

29 Oct 1956

GEN Dayan chose Mitla pass

The big plan

Ariel Sharon got in a big fight for control of the Mitla Pass

ISraeli commander in the Sinai almost blew this by provoking the 3rd IN DIV (EGY), but they didn't take the bait thankfully. Could have screwed up the UK & FR invasion

Also said not to bomb airfields

But not serious enough to provoke Egypt to attack Israeli population centers.

Would give UK & FR the excuse to launch

Israeli ABN (202nd) invasion on Mitla Pass: OPN Kadesh

Conclusion: Invasion was a tactical success

Only two victors in the conflic

Israel

FR

Needed US aid to stop panic selling of british currency

Dulles made the aid contingent on a cease-fire on 7 November

US

Disassociated w/ FR & UK

Occurred on the eve of presidential elections in 1956

USSR

Had just got done crushing Hungarian uprising

Advocated a military response

Seizure of Canal

Seizure of the dam

Bad for western states because they didn't think Eqypt could upkeep

Key link for trade in the region

Aswan Dam

Purpose of the dam was to tame the Nile for farming

US initially might help, but then withdrew because Egypt went to USSR for weapons, then got them to say maybe to financing the dam too

Didn't care what US thought, needed to do something with Egypt to get control of Algeria back and wanted to reassert national prestige

Initially courted by US and USSR because of cold war

USSR said they'd help, worked weapons to Egypt through CZ for rice and cotton

Wanted help financially for weapons, but US wouldnt do it

UK

Didn't want to go against the US with this

US delaayed invasion with the SCUA

Thought if they humored US with the international conferences, then US would let them go in heavy after it failed.

Insulted by Nasser taking the canal

Needed the canal for trade

USA

Wanted to court Nasser because of popularity, but did't think they needed weapons when they had bigger problems to worry about, but said they might help with the Aswan Dam

Dulles

After announcement tried to help form Suez Canal Users Assoc. to help GBR and Egypt use it jointly

Egypt denied it

made the announcement that US offer to help on Aswan dam is off the table in a harsh/embarrassing way

Drove Nasser to privatize the canal so he could use the money to pay for the dam

Ike didn't like Nasser playing Moscow against DC

Subtopic

Political Setting

France

Assumed that Nasser was supporting Algerian rebels, but he wasn't

Built canal with Eqypt in 1859-1869

SUEZ Canal Administration

Operated the canal like an independent state within Eqypt

GBR

Bought Egyptian stock in canal becoming part owner with France

Invaded in 1882 and became protectorate

PM Anthony Eden

Maintain control of Egypt/Canal 1882-1946

Egypt

Didn't want UK or FR around, wanted to be independent

Wouldn't align with Western states against USSR; preferred to be a non-aligned state like Yugoslavia and India

Radio Cairo

Broadcasting in support of Algerian revoltion

Nasser

Not actually supporting the Algerian revolution

Very Popular, Popular ith arabs

One of the officers who overthrew them

In a bid to bolster Egypt's independence and bolster his own popularity, Egyptian leader Nasser sought to distance the nation from Western influences, particularly the UK and France.