Canadian Involvement in the Suez Crisis :: Canadian Canada History

Canadian Involvement in the Suez CrisisEleven years after the second humankind war, a crisis occurred which had the potential to escalate into a third cosmos war. Hostilities ran high and the background causes that prompted this crisis contained the same fun decametreentals as were seen in the first and second world wars. Those being militarism, alliances, imperialism and nationalism wrought by those countries that had an interest in the Suez Canal and the Arab states. In the world of superpowers in conflict, Canada made a name for itself through an ripe peacekeeping scheme, instead of aggression (Encyclopedia Britannica Online, 1999-2000). If Canada had not become involved in the Suez Crisis, as a neutral party, it could have escalated into a world war. The three components which make sense up to the conclusion of the Suez Crisis and a bench mark for Canada and world peacekeeping are Canadas choice for those countries directly involved in the crisis, Canadas choice for involvemen t, and Canadas resolution of the linked Nations Emergency Force, which would put a stop to a possible world war. In the Middle East, by July 1956, tensions were rising. The Egyptians were denied funds from the Us, Britain and the World Bank for the creation of their Aswan dam to affiliation with the Soviet Union. In desperate need of funds for the dam project, the Egyptian government had nationalize the Suez Canal Company, froze its assets in Egypt, and proposed to use canal tolls to even off for the dam (Hillmer, 1999, p. 226). In fear of the Egyptians cutting off the transportation of Arabian oil and Asian goods, the British, French, and Israel secretly planned an attack on Egypt. Meanwhile, the Israelis and the Arab states, including Egypt, were having an arms race. Israel was touch with self-preservation while the Arabs, who had opposed Israels creation, wanted to destroy it. The Americans opposed the British, French, and Israeli invasion of Egypt because it didnt want to off end the Arab states where US oil companies were drilling. On the other hand, the US was wiling to bring Israel with weapons if the Soviet Union sent arms to the Egyptians. Such military support could inevitably have lead to a nuclear war. Through ties with Britain, Canada was expected to care in the invasion pf Egypt but Canada was reluctant and saw how much actions might put their relationship with the Americans in danger.