Dawn Over Suez: The Rise of American Power in the Middle East, 1953-1957

by Steven Z. Freiberger

Overview

No event in post World War II diplomacy has been more written about than the Suez crisis of 1956—and for good reason: it signaled the fall of British power and influence in the Middle East. But most accounts, based on limited information, have focused on the invasion of Suez and the collusion between Britain, France, and Israel as the turning point in Washington's break with London and its assumption of power in the region. Now, using the most up-to-date U. S. sources and recently opened British records, Steven Freiberger has written the most definitive account to date of the Suez affair. His book is rich with fresh interpretations based on new evidence. Mr. Freiberger argues that the Suez crisis was only the culmination of years of American irritation with British imperialism in the Middle East; that the Eisenhower administration developed a coherent anti-colonial plan; that Washington used the Suez crunch to pressure Anthony Eden's removal as prime minister; and that in the end American strategy was a failure-it alienated the Arabs and permitted Soviet expansion in the region. Dawn Over Suez is an important reappraisal of a critical period in American diplomacy and offers keys to understanding our present-day problems in the Middle East.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780929587837
Publisher:	Dee, Ivan R. Publisher
Publication date:	03/01/1992
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	287
Product dimensions:	5.94(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.13(d)

About the Author

Steven Z. Freiberger teaches history at Franklin Pierce College in Rindge, New Hampshire.

Editorial Reviews

Thoroughly researched...an impressive feat.

The Historian - E. Timothy Smith

Freiberger's book takes its right place in the burgeoning literature on the Suez crisis...a distinct contribution.

Intelligence and National Security - Michael Graham Fry & Andrew Gold

An excellent and provocative book!

Lloyd C. Gardner

Persuasive and assertive...a valuable addition on the troubled subject.

Douglas Littlen History Review

Persuasive and assertive...a valuable addition on the troubled subject.

American History Review - Douglas Little

Freiberger describes how President Dwight Eisenhower forced the withdrawal of British and French invasion forces from Suez in 1956 and used the crisis to pressure Prime Minister Anthony Eden from office, to be replaced by the pro-American Harold Macmillan. The reasons for the president's well-publicized anger are brought clearly into focus: the invasion thwarted the U.S.'s plans to eliminate Egyptian leader Gamal Nasser, ruined CIA operations in Syria, and may have cost Eisenhower votes in his '56 reelection campaign. In this thoroughly researched and penetrating study, based on documents recently released by the British Public Records Office, Freiberger argues that the apparently anti-colonial U.S. policy was actually a scheme to replace the British in the region and block Soviet expansion. But Washington's attempts to isolate Nasser only inflated his prestige in the Arab world, while the Eisenhower Doctrine--the commitment to provide military and economic aid to Middle East countries threatened by communism--was interpreted as an American version of colonialism. Freiberger teaches history at Franklin Pierce College in New Hampshire. (May)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Frieberger argues that the Suez crisis of 1956 was only the culmination of years of American irritation with British imperialism in the Middle East. Drawing on newly opened British archives and other materials, he offers an account of the crucial break between Britain and the US and the realignment of power in the Middle East. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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