Author Description

In The 1950s It Seemed To The World At Large That The British Empire Was In A State Of Terminal Decline, Not Least After The Catastrophic Setback After The Suez Crisis In October 1956. The British, Along With The French And Israelis, Launched A Futile Attack On Egypt In Response To Gamal Abdel Nasser's Nationalization Of The Suez Canal Company. The Phrase 'suez Crisis' Became A Byword For Illusion And Self-deception. The British Increasingly Believed That The Americans Aimed To Replace Them In The Middle East. The Anglo-american 'special Relationship' Was Tested Also By The Us Officials' Fixation On Communism, Often To The Exclusion Of Other Considerations. The Arabs Believed That The British Could Not Be Trusted, Not Least For Helping Create The State Of Israel. At The United Nations The British Were Reviled By Anti-colonialists As Renegades. During The 1967 War Between The Arab States And Israel, The Arabs Mistakenly Assumed That The British Had Assisted Israel. As The Pace Of Decolonization Quickened Globally, Britain's Decisions In The Middle East Were Ultimately Driven By Economic Considerations At Home And The Need To Maintain Oil Supplies From The Region. Despite Everything, Many Former Subjects Believed That British Rule Or Influence In The Middle East, And Indeed Throughout The World, Had Provided A Lasting Example Of A Stable And Civilized Way Of Life