The late president, Dwight D. Eisenhower, a man of superlative military and diplomatic skills during US involvement in World War II, saw a clear link between the vulnerability of the Middle East to Communist infiltration. When he addressed Congress in January 1957, he requested Congressional authorization to spend $200 million on a program that would provide economic and military aid to Middle Eastern nations to repel and contain overt Communist aggression. His request would come to be referred to as "The Eisenhower Doctrine."
Congressional Approval of the Eisenhower Doctrine
In March 1957, Congress approved Eisenhower's doctrine of intervention. It's interesting to note that Iraq, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia also approved the doctrine while Egypt and Syria, under Communist influence, opposed it. Egypt and Syria opposed the doctrine as a US attempt to dominate the Arab world. Egypt's president, Nasser received full support from poverty-stricken Arabs as well as from the younger generation and the politically intellectual. Nasser's chief goal in the Arab world was Arab unity. He joined with Syria's president to announce the joining of Egypt and Syria in a "United Arab Republic." Yemen would later join the unification effort.
Jordan's King Hussein and Iraq's King Faisal countered the creation of the UAR by joining their two nations into an Arab Federation. Part of the reason for the creation of the Arab Federation was a dictatorial influence of Nasser over the UAR. When Nassar bitterly attacked the Arab Republic, he called for Jordan and Iraq to revolt and overthrow their leaders. The seeds of Middle East discontent are a direct result of the ripple effect of the Eisenhower doctrine which increased fears among Arab nations of takeover by Americans they considered imperialists and Communist aggressors.
The Suez Canal Agreement
An agreement between the UAR and Suez Canal Company was struck in which Egypt would end their dispute for the sum of $81 million to compensate the properties Egypt nationalized.
Egypt's Neutrality
Egypt's Nasser visited Communist Russia in 1958 shortly after the settlement of the Suez Canal dispute. Nasser hoped to show the world that the UAR wanted to remain neutral and not venture further into Communist aggression. However, he also hoped that neutrality would improve relations with the West in order to secure economic aid. The release of $26 million in Egyptian funds, frozen when Nasser seized the Suez Canal, signaled the West's approval of the settlement.
The Eisenhower Doctrine Effects
Many events of the future in the Arab world would show the link between the "Eisenhower Doctrine," the continued mistrusts of the West, and the possibility of covert communist infiltration. Eisenhower's suspicions of communist Russia's arms trades with the Middle East remains a threat to peace in that region of the world. The Arab world in 1957 saw several issues that remain nearly a half century later: bringing about permanent peace between Israel and Arab states, resolving the issues of Arab refugees and most of all, ending mistrust between Arab states.
The "Eisenhower Doctrine" was a step in the right direction. But, after five decades, the direction of progress in the Arab world grows ever murkier with each sectarian war. Lebanon, Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are today's central focus of discontent. Their future hangs in the balance while war continues to ravage their economies, weakening their defenses and further alienating them from global interaction.
Ref: Reviewing American History, Amsco Publications, In.
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