The following is an encore presentation of Everything Everywhere Daily.

In 1956, one of the most important geopolitical events of the post-war period took place in Egypt.

The Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal, one of the most important waterways in the world.

In response, a coalition of several countries tried to take it back. However, it didn't go as

planned, and it signaled a major reshuffling of the geopolitical order. Learn more about the

Suez crisis and how it shaped the second half of the 20th century on this episode of Everything Everywhere

Daily. What I'll be referring to as the Suez Crisis is known by other names in other countries.

It is also referred to as the Second Arab-Israeli War, the War of Tripartite Aggression in the Arab World,

and the Sinai War in Israel.

Although it didn't rank anywhere near the top of the major conflicts

of the 20th century in terms of casualties, it played an outsized role in shaping the post-war

geopolitical order, the effects of which can still be felt today. In a previous episode, I covered

the history of the Suez Canal. The idea of a canal connecting the Mediterranean

and Red Seas was an idea that went back almost 4,000 years. It wasn't until the 19th century,

however, that a canal was built by a French company that received a 99-year lease from

Mohamed Ali Pasha, the then ruler of Egypt. After more than a decade of work,

the canal opened in 1869.

The British initially objected to the canal's construction

because they control the routes around Africa,

but once it opened, they purchased 44% ownership in the canal,

and it became a vital link between India and Britain. In 1882, the British were invited

by the then leader of Egypt to put down an uprising, and they took control of the canal. The British

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