Suez Deconstructed (an Interactive Study In Crisis, War, And Peacemaking)

By (author) Philip Zelikow
By (author) Philip Zelikow; By (author) Ernest May; With Harvard Suez Team
Short description/annotation
The Suez crisis of 1956 offers a master class in statecraft. Like an illustration that uses an exploded view of an object to show how it works, this book uses an unprecedented design to deconstruct the Suez crisis. The story is broken down into three distinct phases. In each phase, the reader sees the issues as they were perceived by each country involved.
Description
Experiencing a major crisis from different viewpoints, step by step.

The Suez crisis of 1956—now little more than dim history for many people—offers a master class in statecraft. It was a potentially explosive Middle East confrontation capped by a surprise move that reshaped the region for years to come. It was a diplomatic crisis that riveted the world’s attention. And it was a short but startling war that ended in unexpected ways for every country involved.

Six countries, including two superpowers, had major roles, but each saw the situation differently. From one stage to the next, it could be hard to tell which state was really driving the action. As in any good ensemble, all the actors had pivotal parts to play.

Like an illustration that uses an exploded view of an object to show how it works, this book uses an unprecedented design to deconstruct the Suez crisis. The story is broken down into three distinct phases. In each phase, the reader sees the issues as they were perceived by each country involved, taking into account different types of information and diverse characteristics of each leader and that leader’s unique perspectives. Then, after each phase has been laid out, editorial observations invite the reader to consider the interplay.

Developed by an unusual group of veteran policy practitioners and historians working as a team, Suez Deconstructed is not just a fresh way to understand the history of a major world crisis. Whether one''s primary interest is statecraft or history, this study provides a fascinating step-by-step experience, repeatedly shifting from one viewpoint to another. At each stage, readers can gain rare experience in the way these very human leaders sized up their situations, defined and redefined their problems, improvised diplomatic or military solutions, sought ways to influence each other, and tried to change the course of history.
Table of contents
  • Introduction
  • Map: The Middle East of 1956 and Europe''s Oil Lifeline
  • Map: Israel and Its Neighbors, 1956
  • The World of 1956
  • Part One:
  • What to Do about Nasser''s Egypt
  • Moscow
  • Jerusalem
  • Paris
  • London
  • Washington
  • Cairo
  • Observations on Part One
  • Part Two
  • What to Do about the Crisis
  • Washington
  • Cairo
  • Moscow
  • Paris
  • Jerusalem
  • London
  • Observations on Part Two
  • Part Three
  • What to Do about the War
  • Jerusalem
  • Cairo
  • Moscow
  • Paris
  • Washington
  • London
  • Final Observations: No End of Lessons
  • About the Contributors
  • Notes
  • Index

Review quote
Statecraft is not only about impersonal forces — it''s about intangibles. The Suez crisis is an ideal history from which to glean that understanding, and Suez Deconstructed gives readers an enlightening and engrossing opportunity to gain it before facing a crisis of their own."- Jordan Chandler Hirsch, Texas National Security Review;

"Suez Deconstructed provides a unique opportunity for scholars and students of international relations to peer into the minds of key decision makers as they grappled with one of the most complex and consequential crises of the Cold War. Richly rooted in historical detail, this book offers enduring lessons for current and futu
More Information
Author By (author) Philip Zelikow
EAN 9780815735724
Contributors Philip Zelikow; Ernest May; Harvard Suez Team
Publisher Brookings Institution
Languages English
Country of Publication United States
Width 152 mm
Height 229 mm
Product Forms Hardback
Weight 0.860000
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