The Suez Canal Crisis and the Birth of Peacekeeping

The Suez Canal Crisis allowed the United Nations to introduce what would become its trademark contribution to the world of conflict resolution: peacekeeping. The notion of peacekeeping came in the wake of the UN’s military involvement in Korea. The UN had learned from Korea to try to avoid actual military combat and instead pursue peacekeeping roles. Also, China’s adverse reaction to American intervention in Korea had taught the UN to avoid superpower involvement where possible. In 1956 British, French, and Israeli forces invaded the Suez Canal Zone in Egypt.

The canal had just been nationalized and Egypt was still unsure of how to administer it. Israel then invaded, followed by the French and British who wanted to protect their interests in this key waterway. In retaliation to the invasions, the Egyptians started sinking ships in the canal to make it impassable. The UN Security Council was ineffective and resolving the dispute thanks to British and French vetoes so it was left up to the General Assembly to sort it out. The Assembly was successful in getting Britain and France to withdraw their troops and proceeded to station UN Emergency Forces there to reopen the canal.

The UN Emergency Force patrolled the Egyptian-Israeli border for the next ten years keeping incidents to a minimum. They were powerless, however, when, on 18 May 1967, Egypt asked the UN forces to leave and began a full-scale war with Israel and neighbouring countries. In vain the United Nations adopted a cease-fire agreement that attached no blame or conditions for peace among the warring nations. The United Nations was forced again to enter the Middle East to quell tensions in 1973 but was ineffective at ending all hostilities. Even though the United Nations was ineffective at preventing war in the Middle East, they were able at least to keep the superpowers from being involved.