Omar: ... whenever an Arab state had ambitions to become 'the core state,' it quickly found itself at war with either the US or Israel. This happened to Egypt when it had pan-Arabist ambitions under Nasser, and to Iraq in 1990.Eric: C'mon, Omar, you're an intelligent guy and know more history than that.
Nasser played the Soviets against the Americans and vice versa. Curiously, it was this American-Soviet game in the Suez crisis in 1956 that prevented Britain, France, and Israel from staging an all-out war with Egypt. The British and French militaries, you may recall, initiated a successful occupation of the Suez Canal area. After the Soviets threatened to support Egypt, the United States PREVENTED Britain, France, and Israel from maintaining their hold on the Suez Canal. Further, you may note, almost a decade BEFORE the 1967 war, the Gaza Strip was a staging ground for terrorist attacks on Israel. ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html