AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Seventy years after the Suez Canal crisis, its lessons have once again caught up with America in the war against Iran. Because military power alone cannot force enemies to surrender and prevent the heavy costs of war from being imposed on economies. This assessment has been raised in an analysis by the American magazine Newsweek.
This magazine reminded that then-US President Dwight Eisenhower, in 1956, stopped the tripartite aggression of Britain, France, and the Zionist regime against Egypt by using financial and diplomatic pressures. While current US President Donald Trump is now facing the consequences of the war against Iran, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the weakening of alliances, and voters' anger over rising prices.
Newsweek, in an analysis by David Averre, wrote that the Suez Canal crisis exposed the limitations of Britain and France's military power. Because Eisenhower's pressures finally forced these two countries to stop the attack on Egypt. Now, after 70 years, the war against Iran has placed similar limitations before Washington.
In November 1956, British and French forces, after landing paratroopers to take control of the Suez Canal, began their advance in the port city of Port Said. This operation was carried out simultaneously with the Zionist regime's invasion of the Sinai Peninsula, but Washington's pressures finally stopped this attack.
When financial markets won
The Suez Canal crisis began after then-Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser announced the nationalization of the Suez Canal Company. Following this action, the British and French governments, in cooperation with the Zionist regime, conspired to attack the Sinai Peninsula, occupy the Suez Canal, and possibly even overthrow Nasser's government.
At that time, more than half of Western Europe's oil was transported through this canal. Sinking ships in the canal's path disrupted shipping and increased pressure on Britain's economy. An economy that had found itself in need of the International Monetary Fund's help to stabilize the value of the pound sterling.
Eisenhower refused to help Britain and threatened to sell his country's pound sterling assets; an action that could severely weaken the value of this currency.
Following the threat of economic collapse, London and Paris were forced to stop the attack and withdraw their forces. Then-British Prime Minister Anthony Eden resigned in early 1957, and the Suez Canal crisis accelerated the decline of Britain's position as a great global power.
The Strait of Hormuz once again challenged military power
Newsweek's analysis shows that Trump's war against Iran proved that military superiority cannot prevent the other side from using geographical position and economic levers. Tehran resisted the pressures and maintained its ability to disrupt traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a passage through which about one-fifth of the world's oil previously passed.
The eight-month disruption of maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz led to a rise in energy prices and an escalation of inflation. This came at a time when customs tariffs had also added to economic pressures. Thus, American families bore the cost of the war against Iran through rising prices and heavier living costs.
The US midterm elections held last Tuesday turned into a kind of political judgment on these developments, and the Democrats were able to gain control of both chambers of Congress.
According to an Associated Press survey, out of every 10 American voters, 6 assessed the attack on Iran as a wrong decision. However, the increase in living costs had a greater impact on their electoral choices.
Eisenhower did not suffice with imposing financial pressures but also tried to mobilize the United Nations against the aggression against Egypt. After Britain and France used their veto power in the Security Council, Washington referred the case to the UN General Assembly. An assembly that called for a ceasefire and the withdrawal of the aggressor forces.
The negotiations afterward led to the formation of the first United Nations peacekeeping force. A force that supervised the withdrawal process and took on the mission of monitoring the borders of Egypt and the Zionist regime.
The complete withdrawal of the Zionist regime's military forces was completed in March 1957, and the Suez Canal was reopened the following month. During this crisis, Eisenhower realized that combining economic tools, international institutions, and diplomacy could create influence beyond military power.
America's growing isolation and the rift with European allies
In contrast, Trump has weakened these tools. He ordered America's withdrawal from 66 international organizations and expanded Washington's differences with European allies.
Meanwhile, some member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have begun examining a future in which they cannot count on American support. The European Union has also entered negotiations to prevent a trade war with Washington.
For this reason, European capitals ignored Trump's invitation to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz. These countries believed the war had begun without consulting them and were unwilling to join it.
Newsweek, in the conclusion of its analysis, emphasizes that the lesson of the Suez Canal crisis has once again returned to Washington. War erodes the economy and angers voters. While the isolation caused by weakening relations with allies reduces the opportunity to achieve goals. In such conditions, military power alone is no longer enough to impose political will.
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