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The first outbreak of the Cold War in Africa was… a big deal.

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Like… it could have sparked a war that annihilated all life on Earth. [Cockroach on the ground]

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Yep, it sounds like the plot of an action movie, but it was real.

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Only in this one…the hero turns out to be Canadian.

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Nobody saw that coming.

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What came to be called the Suez Canal Crisis kicked off on June 26, 1956 when the socialist [The Suez Canal]

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Egyptian President Nasser declared that the Suez Canal belonged to his people…

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…i.e. the government that was run by him. [People jump in the canal]

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The tiny problem?

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The Suez Canal was owned by British and French investors, who weren’t cool with Nassar,

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um… taking their stuff.

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But Nassar was like…”it’s in Egypt, so it belongs to Egypt.” [Nasser demanding the canal]

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Also, the Europeans had built it when Egypt—as well as almost all of North Africa—was colonized.

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So taking over the highly lucrative canal was a way of getting payback.

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Things got crazy fast. [Man runs away from psychiatric hospital]

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A week after Nassar made his announcement, Britain had frozen all Egyptian overseas bank

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accounts, outlawed all arms sales to Egypt, and revved up its navy for a fight. [soldiers marching with rifles]

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A month later, the nuclear-armed USSR got into the mix and threatened to attack if Britain

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invaded Egypt.

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Two months later, Israel got into the ring…which is when things really got hot. [Israel and Egypt in a boxing ring]

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For one, the Crisis was hurting trade through the Suez, which meant fewer ships in Israel’s

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ports and less money in their piggy banks.

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Even more so, though, Israel had a score to settle with Nasser because Egypt had supported [Israel and palestine firing guns at each other]

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the Palestinians in Israel's civil war.

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And Israel’s relationship with Western Europe was shaky because its policies were getting

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a little too socialist for capitalist tastes.

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Sticking up for European interests was a way for Israel to prove its loyalty. [Israel beside the Western Europe]

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So in October, Israel attacked Egypt.

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It was like a playground fight with both Western Europe and the Soviet Union standing off to

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the side, chanting…

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“Fight! Fight! Fight!" [Western Europe and USSR shouting at Israel and Egypt]

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What a bunch of enablers…

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British and French troops were there too, calling themselves peacekeepers.

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But they weren’t exactly chanting “Peace! Peace! Peace!"

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What made this all so scary is that the USSR had promised to attack if anybody attacked

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Egypt.

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But… if they attacked Israel, Britain, and France, the US was sure to get involved.

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It wouldn’t take much for the world to suddenly be in the middle of a nuclear World War III.

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Luckily, the prospect of the world ending was actually enough to make everyone think [White flag appears]

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twice.

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Led by Canadian diplomat and future Prime Minister, Lester Pearson, the United Nations

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pressured the British, French, and Israelis to get the heck out of Egypt. [Lester Pearson orders Britain, France and Israel away]

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And the Brits, French, and Israelis…actually did it.

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The UN replaced them with a multinational peacekeeping force that reined in the region.

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Eventually, the Suez Canal was given back to the Egyptian government.

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But with the understanding that it would always be open to British and French ships. [British and French ships sailing on the Canal]

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World War III was avoided, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

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And who knows?

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It might not have happened without the Canadian charm of Lester Pearson. [Lester Pearson at a dinner table with Egypt]

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Who’s a hoser now, eh?

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