The Eisenhower Doctrine

The Eisenhower Doctrine

Introduction

United States of America first intervened in Lebanese affairs in 1958 when Egypt and Syria made United Arab League. Lebanon people hoped that their country will also join but President Camille Chamoun was Pro-West and did not want to do so. Owing to this fact, riots broke out in Lebanon while the army refused to be involved. In the face of this deteriorating situation Chamoun asked for American troops (Roskin and Berry, 2005). Foundation for such a move was laid down by the then President of United states, Dwight Eisenhower in 1957 when he announced the Eisenhower Doctrine. Under the doctrine Eisenhower pledged U.S. military support to any government requesting assistance against communist-inspired aggression.

Discussion

In 1953 the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) orchestrated the overthrow of Mohammed Mossadegh in Iran, bringing the shah back into power. In 1955 it helped put together the Baghdad Pact, an alliance of states designed to help encircle the Soviet Union and prevent communism from spreading into the region (Ponzo, 1991). In 1954 it offered aid to President Gamal Abdel Nasser to build the Aswan Dam in Egypt. As a display of anger over Nasser's growing anti-Western policies it rescinded this offer in 1956 and helped spark the 1957 Suez crisis.

Fearing that the Soviet Union would be able to parlay the crisis into a greater presence in the region, Republican president Dwight Eisenhower asked Congress to approve a special program of military and economic aid for the Middle East. He asked Congress to approve, in advance, “the use of armed force to assist any nation or group of such nations requesting assistance against aggression from any national controlled by international communism” (Eisenhower, 1957). The appeal was refused by the democratic-controlled Congress. After Eisenhower promised not to decrease U.S. aid to Israel in reprisal ...