Suez Canal

London Conference of 1956

The Committee: In 1956, the Egyptian government nationalized the Suez Canal which was an attempt to take power from the British and the French, creating an uproar and ultimately leading to the Suez Canal Conference in London. The conference consisted of heads of state from all over the world who met to discuss what should be done about the canal. This conference came at a crucial time as tensions between nations were starting to increase. The United Kingdom called this meeting to ease these tensions before they escalated. Of the 24 countries invited to the conference, only two countries declined, one of them being Egypt. It is crucial to understand what Egypt would have wished for or contributed to the discussion had they been in attendance. Delegates will be set to the task of solving this crucial issue and writing resolutions while also dealing with crisis updates.

The Topic: The Suez Canal Crisis came at a very delicate time. It is important to keep in mind that this crisis comes barely a decade after the conclusion of World War II so we must remain wary of another conflict emerging. British and Egyptian forces worked together to defend the canal from Axis control and prevent the crucial influence from falling into the wrong hands. Global politics were heavily influenced by many international relations, Such as the U.S and Soviet Union, and the one between Britain, France and Egypt. The Suez Canal was also a major source of global trade. Every day cargo is delayed, around 12% of global trade would be lost, with approximately a million barrels passing through the canal daily. Past conflicts in the area have also affected this crisis. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, regional instability and tension caused trade disruptions, leading to an estimated $500 million in economic losses (equivalent to about $5 billion today). At this time, about 600,000 civilians lived in the three major cities situated along the canal: Port Said, Ismailia, and Suez. A war centered around this area would likely displace many of these citizens from their lives and destroy much of the society built up along the canal. parties may use any means necessary to subdue Egypt, even destroying the ecosystems near and reliant on the canal. This would be an issue because nearly 10% of Egypt’s economy comes from agriculture and almost a quarter of jobs are in this industry. With the absence of Egypt at the conference, the delegates will have to plan out every diplomatic-or other- solution that would best benefit their position as well as the flow of the conference.