The Stress of Her Disregard: Britannia’s Suez Fiasco in Consideration of Anglo-American Diplomacy

The Suez Crisis of 1956 was an unmitigated disaster for the United Kingdom. For the vast majority of historians, it marks the effective downfall of the British Empire. In reviewing the series of events preceding and throughout the crisis, it becomes evident that the reason for the failure of the Suez expedition rests not on actions taken in Cairo or Moscow, but in Washington. The efforts of Dwight Eisenhower and John Foster Dulles to stymie Anthony Eden from achieving his goals during the affair are the key factors to the ruination of British efforts towards removing Gamal Abdel Nasser from power and reversing his nationalization of the Suez Canal. By examining the Suez Crisis, much light is shed on the true nature of Anglo-American diplomacy during the early Cold War period; tense questions arise about the reality of the “special relationship” between the United States and Great Britain. However, one fact remains certain, in the desert sands of the Sinai Peninsula during November 1956, Britannia lost her Empire and America asserted its dominance