The role of Egypt in the U.S. : Soviet superpower rivalry, 1945-1981

Abstract

The initial U.S. involvement in Egypt stemmed from the concern that the loss of Britain's power in the Middle East may lead to Soviet aggrandizement in the Middle East. In the policy of containment, Egypt featured prominently in the U.S. strategic calculations, even though Egyptian acquiescence was not gained in the early days of U.S.-Soviet rivalry.

The Soviet Union provided support to the nationalist government of Egypt to act as the bulwark against U.S. and western plans which were designed to contain Soviet expansion. Egypt's active opposition to U.S. and western strategic calculations helped to neutralize anti-Soviet containment policy.

Symbolic as the rivalry may be in such regions as Sub-Saharan Africa, the importance of Egypt to the superpowers, relative to its geo-strategic location, provides cogent reasons for competition in that country. Egypt began to feature prominently in the geo-strategic calculations of the superpowers in the hey day of the cold war rivalry.

The superpowers' involvement in Egypt revolved around the indispensability of oil economic and industrial growth and around strategic calculations, which Egypt dominates in the Arab/Mediterranean, North African/Middle East area. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)