Egypt Reopens Suez: Nasser's Sovereignty Confirmed
Egypt reopened the Suez Canal to international shipping on March 8, 1957, four months after British, French, and Israeli forces had invaded to seize control of the waterway following President Nasser's nationalization. The Suez Crisis of 1956 was the last gasp of European colonial power in the Middle East. The United States, furious that its allies had launched an invasion without consultation, forced a humiliating withdrawal by threatening to collapse the British pound. The UN deployed its first peacekeeping force to the canal zone. When Egypt cleared the canal of ships scuttled by the British and French during the invasion and reopened it under full Egyptian sovereignty, the message was unmistakable: the old colonial powers no longer controlled the strategic chokepoints of world trade. Nasser became a hero across the Arab world, and the canal has operated under Egyptian control ever since, generating billions in annual transit fees.
March 8, 1957
69 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on March 8
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