Gamal Abdel Nasser

Gamal Abdel Nasser ({{ll|Arabic}}: ???? ??? ??????) ‎ (January 15, 1918 – September 28, 1970) was the second President of Egypt after Muhammad Naguib and is considered one of the most important Arab leaders in history. He was the foremost exponent of Arab Nationalism during the 1950s and 1960s.

Suez Crisis

Main article: Suez Crisis

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In spite of initially good relations with the Western powers, Nasser gradually began to lose their favor and inclined more and more towards the Soviet bloc. On January 16, 1956, Nasser vowed to liberate Palestine and, in summer 1956, after the U.S. and Great Britain pulled out of an agreement to help finance the Aswan Dam, he announced the nationalization of the Suez Canal, in order to finance construction of the dam. This inspired anger from the United Kingdom and France, who had shares in the Canal. With the help of Israel the United Kingdom and France waged war upon Egypt. The allied coalition overran the Sinai and much of Port Said within the course of a week, sending the Egyptian military into retreat. Due to pressure from both the United States and the Soviet Union, however, the British and the French had to withdraw with their demands unanswered.

Related Topics:
Soviet bloc - January 16 - 1956 - Palestine - Suez Canal - United Kingdom - France

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Though Israel did achieve the cessation of fedayeen raids (in return for Israeli withdrawal from the Sinai peninsula), Nasser was hailed as having achieved a victory for the Arab world and having stood up to the "imperialist enemy." After Suez, Nasser emerged as a force in the Middle East and served as inspiration for a generation of nationalists throughout the region. After the Suez Crisis Nasser inclined closer to the Soviet Union but continued to play the Soviets and the West off of each other in order to win power for Egypt.

Related Topics:
Fedayeen - Sinai peninsula - Soviet Union

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