Anatomy of decline: Anglo-Soviet competition in the Middle East, 1956-67

Moshe Gat

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    Following the Suez Campaign the British government found itself facing Moscow and its bid for power in the Middle East. The Soviets, for their part, exploited London's weakness to extend and consolidate their influence in the Arab world. By taking advantage of the Arab-Israeli conflict, by maintaining an (un)reasonably high level of regional tension, Moscow sought to make the Arabs totally dependent on its support. It began supplying the Arabs with weapons and providing them with diplomatic support, acquiring in the process a regional status equal to that enjoyed by the West. This in turn meant that any attempt by Britain to come to some kind of an understanding, such as limiting arms sales to the Middle East, had virtually no chance of success. Having mobilized what little remained of its power to try and check the Soviet advance, Britain was finally forced admit that it was no longer up to the task.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)603-622
    Number of pages20
    JournalIsrael Affairs
    Volume19
    Issue number4
    DOIs
    StatePublished - Oct 2013

    Keywords

    • Britain
    • Middle East
    • Soviet Union
    • Suez Campaign

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Anatomy of decline: Anglo-Soviet competition in the Middle East, 1956-67'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this