Eisenhower, MacMillan and the Problem of Nasser - (Studies in Military and Strategic History) by N Ashton (Hardcover)

From the Back Cover

The years 1955-59 were a vital transitional period for the Anglo-American relationship in the Middle East. British and American leaders sought to protect cold war and oil interests in the region against the background of a renaissance of Arab nationalism personified by the Egyptian leader Nasser. With the aid of extensive declassified official documentation, this study traces the British and American responses to the Turco-Iraqi Pact of 1955, the Suez crisis, the Syrian crisis of 1957, the outbreak of civil strife in Lebanon, and the Iraqi Revolution of 1958. It shows how the differing priorities of the two powers in the region promoted a patchwork of confrontation and cooperation over Middle Eastern questions. For Britain, this study reveals that it was the Iraqi Revolution rather than Suez which led to a redefinition of strategy in the region, and a concentration on the defence of her oil interests in the Gulf.

Review Quotes

'Elegantly written and based on the rich archival sources of both states, Ashton's arguments are compelling. Not all scholars of Anglo-American relations will accept his interpretations, but all must grapple with them.' - Peter L. Hahn, The International History Review

'Ashton has outlined a framework for understanding the latter half of the 1950s that future students of the period will want to engage.' - Joel Gordon, American Historical Review

'It is...refreshing to read a account which places 1956 in a longer-term context. Eisenhower, Macmillan and the Problem of Nasser by Nigel John Ashton enables one to judge whether the Suez Crisis was quite the dramatic turning-point it is widely supposed to have been.' - David Carlton, Times Literary Supplement