This volume investigates the multifaceted origins, execution, and geopolitical aftermath of the 1956 Suez Crisis. Edited by Roger Owen and Wm. Roger Louis, the work synthesizes scholarly analysis with primary source perspectives to re-evaluate the collapse of British imperial influence and the rise of Cold War bipolarity in the Middle East. The contributors utilize newly declassified archival evidence to challenge existing narratives regarding the motivations of the primary actors involved.

Experts identify this collection as a foundational text for understanding the transition of power in the post-colonial Middle East. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose and the high level of expertise provided by the contributing historians and former diplomats.