There are some parallels between what happened fifty years ago and what happened in March of 2003. Since we are approaching the fiftieth anniversary of the Suez crisis of 1956, lets parse.
In October of 1956, Britain, France and Israel conspired to invade Egypt. Britain and France were feeling rather emasculated after World War II; Britain especially after that nastiness in Tehran in 1953, when John Foster Dulles had to intervene to get their oil company back with a coup that installed that feckless Shah -and cast the die for the difficulties we still deal with today - but we have covered that previously - today, the topic is the Suez Crisis. History takes the long view, and it starts before the Israeli athletes were slaughtered in Munich in 1972.
That "operation" took much less time to fall apart than Bush's Folly has, but the parallels are irresistible none-the-less. Like the coalliton forces in 2003, the British-French-Israeli alliance met with quick military success. The schema was simple - Israel would invade Egypt, and France and Britain would "intervene" and restore order (read control the Suez Canal). And they wanted to get rid of Nasser (pictured). Democracy is only good in emerging democracies when they elect candidates who represent western interests. The CIA had gotten away with the Iranian coup in 1953 that unseated Mossadegh and installed the shah, so they were feeling cocky. But Nasser survived, as did pan-arabism. Indeed, Nasser would lead his people for another 14 years, until his death in 1970.
In October of 1956, Britain, France and Israel conspired to invade Egypt. Britain and France were feeling rather emasculated after World War II; Britain especially after that nastiness in Tehran in 1953, when John Foster Dulles had to intervene to get their oil company back with a coup that installed that feckless Shah -and cast the die for the difficulties we still deal with today - but we have covered that previously - today, the topic is the Suez Crisis. History takes the long view, and it starts before the Israeli athletes were slaughtered in Munich in 1972.
That "operation" took much less time to fall apart than Bush's Folly has, but the parallels are irresistible none-the-less. Like the coalliton forces in 2003, the British-French-Israeli alliance met with quick military success. The schema was simple - Israel would invade Egypt, and France and Britain would "intervene" and restore order (read control the Suez Canal). And they wanted to get rid of Nasser (pictured). Democracy is only good in emerging democracies when they elect candidates who represent western interests. The CIA had gotten away with the Iranian coup in 1953 that unseated Mossadegh and installed the shah, so they were feeling cocky. But Nasser survived, as did pan-arabism. Indeed, Nasser would lead his people for another 14 years, until his death in 1970.
The plan, if it had worked, was designed to restore the stature of France and Britain as serious players, after stinging setbacks suffered in WWII. Egypt would offer no challenge, having just emerged from years of domination by the Brits and before that the Turks. They had no troop carriers, no long-range bombers, no long-range rockets or missiles. Pretty easy to knock off a country that doesn't have those things when you do. Holding it, however, can be a problem, as Britain and France found out in 1956 and the Coalition forces have learned since 2003.
The crisis, as the operation unraveled around the Brits and French and Nasser did not fall, was averted when Eisenhower told Britain and France to knock it off and go the hell home, and they took the cover extended and got the hell out without much protestation.
Too bad there was no superpower to tell George Bush to knock it off and go the hell home, huh?
The crisis, as the operation unraveled around the Brits and French and Nasser did not fall, was averted when Eisenhower told Britain and France to knock it off and go the hell home, and they took the cover extended and got the hell out without much protestation.
Too bad there was no superpower to tell George Bush to knock it off and go the hell home, huh?
