SUEZ AT SIXTY: REMEMBERING THE SUEZ CRISIS AND WAR OF 1956This fall marks the 60th anniversary of the Suez War of 1956, a pivotal moment in Egyptian, Middle Eastern, and international history. In response to Egypt's nationalization of the Suez Canal Company, Britain, France, and Israel launched a coordinated military assault against Egypt. The United States, the Soviet Union, and much of the international community strongly opposed this move, eventually compelling the aggressors to halt the attack and withdraw their forces from Egypt. This extraordinary event both symbolized and hastened the decline of British and French empire in the Arab world, permitting the United States and the Soviet Union to increase their own involvement in the region while also accelerating the broader decolonization movement. It also thrust Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser to the forefront of pan-Arab nationalism and afforded Egypt a prominent place in the emerging nonaligned movement.

To bring out these areas of significance, members of the UCSB community will host a two-day program of events:

On THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, at 7:30 PM in HSSB 6020, we will screen the BBC documentary film "The Other Side of Suez," a riveting reconstruction of the Suez Crisis and War that brings out the  erspectives of numerous international actors: Egypt, Israel, Britain, France, the United States, the Soviet Union, and other nations. Following the documentary, which runs for one hour, Professor Joel Gordon of the University of Arkansas will lead a discussion of the issues raised by the film.

On FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, from 1:30 to 5:30 PM in the UNIVERSITY CENTER HARBOR ROOM, we will host a series of insightful academic talks by a diverse array of scholars, from UCSB and elsewhere, each focusing on a different aspect of the Suez Crisis and its legacy. The speakers are:

Jennifer Derr, Assistant Professor of History at the University of California, Santa Cruz 

Muriam Haleh Davis, Assistant Professor of History at the University of California, Santa Cruz 

Joel Gordon, Professor of History and Director of the King Fahd Center at the University of Arkansas

Dwight Reynolds, Professor of Religious Studies, UCSB

Sherene Seikaly, Associate Professor of History, UCSB 

Salim Yaqub, Professor of History, UCSB