Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-07-20
What Was the Road to Lebanon?

ton by Britain. France, and
Israel.
Again an American turnabout:
Mr.. Dulles opposed the British
French-Israell Intervention and.
with the support of the Soviet
Union, sponsored United Nations
action ending the invasion. re-
opening the canal. and establish
ing the United Nations Emergency
Force 10 guarantee the ceasefire.
Since then. despite occasional
signs that relations between the
United States and Egypt we're
improving. Col. Nasser's activities
have brought pan-Arabism TO a
fever pitch. made Of him the pop
ular hero OF Arabs almost every
where, angered France and Britain
anew with agitation In Algeria.
Alden and Oman. very nearly sue
ceeded In overthrowing the pro-
Western government Of Jordan.
threatened the existence Of the
Western regime In Lebanon.
and has succeeded in supplanting
the pro-Western government Of
Iraq with a pro-Nasser regime.
While thus busily engaged. the
Egyptian leader managed also to
create the United Arab Republic.
comprising Egypt and Syria but
heavily dominated by Cairo and
with himself as chief of state.
This swift sequence Of events
provides a clue to the answer
to the second question: Why Is
the Iraq revolt viewed so seriously
In the West?
Plainly, American diplomats
point out. Col. Nasser's strides in
the Middle East, taken under Mos
cows approval and. some say.
guidance, pose q threat to the en-
tire area, to the continued inde-
pendence Of those Arab nations
unwilling to come under the Mas
ser thumb. to the immense oil
resources Of the Middle East so
vital to the economic structure
of Western Europe. and to the
vital strategic Importance Of the
Middle East in the cold war.
The Lost Strow
Iraq was the last straw. Here.
in the nation considered to be
the safest" for the West in all
the Arab world. the only Arab
member Of the Dulles-sponsored
Baghdad Pact, Nasser's brand of
Arab nationalism succeeded with
shocking ease in wiping out a
Western bastion. Jordan was
plainly next in line, and less able
to resist than Iraq: Lebanon had
been under seige for over so days
in outright armed rebellion. Ac-
ton was inescapable: the alter
native was acquieScence in the
fall Of the entire Middle East to
NaSser. the cutting Of Of Eu-
ropes major oil supplies, the loss
Of billions of dollars in Western
investments. and Of course the
eventual destruction Of Israel.
There are few voices in official
Washington willing to praise the
Intervention in Lebanon as the
long-delayed muscle fiexing they
believe necessary to defend the
West against Soviet smothering.
But most comment is based on
the view that long-deteriorating
situation had come to the point
where a showdown was unavoid-
able. Few indeed are those who
see in the situation an augury
of good fortune for the future.
Not Like Korea
In the Middle East. unlike the
1850 situation in Korea, there is
no open Communist aggression
against which the moral and mil
itary might Of the West can be
deployed. There Is no United Ma
tons sanction for American inter-
vention. indeed the contrary is the
case, Judging by reports from the
U. N. last week during the Security
Councils debates. And even If
American military might can
achieve turn-back Of the agrees
sive designs of Col. Nasser's i'm
perial plans. the United States
will inevitably be faced with a
continued pan-Arabism in which
the last vestiges of trust and re-
spect for American intentions will
have disappeared.