a48e3a7b4f
- Created a new document for Pakistan Affairs with sections on historical personalities, partition, national integration, economic challenges, political stability, foreign policy, and climate change. - Added multiple topics related to Kashmir and intergovernmental organizations. - Established a new index page for CSS Notes 2025, outlining the purpose and organization of the notes.
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history pakistan's foreign policy
The Suez Canal, which was completed in 1869, connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea. This makes it a crucial shortcut between Europe and Asia, especially as a trade route.
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It was vital for British and French trade and military movement, especially for oil shipments from the Middle East. Even though the Suez Canal is physically located in Egypt, it was controlled by the Suez Canal Company, which was majority-owned by British and French shareholders. And even after Egypt's independence in 1922, the British Empire controlled the canal and maintained a military presence in Egypt.
Gamal Abdel Nasser was a nationalist leader who wanted to assert complete independence from colonial influence. Therefore, he decided to nationalize the Suez Canal and take control from Britain and France. Britain and France, on the other hand, along with Israel, decided to launch a military operation in Egypt to take it back.
Politically, the operation was a disaster because both the US and the Soviet Union opposed the invasion. The US threatened financial and economic sanctions, while the Soviet Union threatened to intervene using its military. Obviously, both countries were after their own interests, and neither really cared about Egypt. The US feared it would lose its influence in the Arab world, and the Soviets wanted to gain influence in the Arab world.