Suez Canal Crisis UPSC | Background & Latest Updates With Map & Quiz

Suez Canal Crisis UPSC | Background & Latest Updates With Map & Quiz –Suez Canal links the Mediterranean with the red Sea. It was constructed by the French in the 1860s. Ownership soon passed to the British. As the canal provided the shortest route to India (and, in later years, the Persian Gulf oil fields), its safety was vital to the British. They decided that they required a permanent military presence in Egypt to guard it. Suez Canal runs through Egypt but is utilized by ships of many nations which would otherwise have to cruise all the way around Africa. In July, 1956, Egypt nationalised this Canal, which was being operated by a private French and British company, and declared that Egyptians would run it now.

• The issue was before the Security Council when, on October 29, 1956, Israeli armed forces moved into the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula.
• Three days later British and French troops landed at the northern end of the Suez Canal.
• There was a veritable fear that the fighting could cause a larger war.

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United Nations General Assembly Role In Suez Canal Crisis UPSC

• The General Assembly was called into emergency session.
• It pressured Israel, Great Britain and France to stop fighting and withdraw their forces from Egypt.
• It voted to create a United Nations Emergency Force, called UNEF.
• The force would not be a fighting force, but a peace force sent with the consent of both sides.
• Within a few days, the conflict had been stopped and the first UNEF troops arrived to separate the two sides.
• Within a few weeks, all the British, French and Israeli troops withdrew back.

UNEF troops had taken up positions along the border between Israel and Egypt and at the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba, at the southern end of the Sinai Peninsula. Resultant, peace was restored along the border between Israel and Egypt where scattered fighting had been the rule.

• The UN made this peace with an emergency force of some 3,000 to 5,000 men only.
• But this small force was backed by the approval, or moral authority, of the community of nations in the United Nations.
• The Suez Canal Crisis is a striking illustration of what the United Nations can do to keep peace.
• It shows how mighty is the power of world opinion.
• For no nation wants to commit a deed that will be looked upon with disapproval by most of the other nations of the world.

Blockage of Suez Canal In 2021

Impact of longest-ever accidental closure of Suez Canal

• Stress on Global Supply Chain Of Goods And Services.
• Biggest Impact Would be On Indian As Well As European Economies – India Is The biggest Importer Of Crud Oil Through Suez Canal Root.
• Increased Oil Prices: The long-term impacts of this block will depend on how long it lasts, but some countries have already seen a rise in oil prices after the blockage.
• The Suez Canal accident has revealed the weaknesses of the global shipping trade

Suez Canal Crisis UPSC – GS questions based on daily current affairs

(1)  Which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. Suez canal connects Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea.
2. Suez port is northern port of Suez canal while Port Said is southern port of Suez canal.

Choose The Correct Answer From The Options Given Below 

1. Only 1
2. Only 2
3. Both
4. None

Correct Answer : ( 1 )

Q2 – The Suez Canal was built because _____

1. steam shovels were important
2. ships had to transport goods all the way around Africa
3. the Mediterranean Sea needed to drain
4. Napoleon conquered Egypt

Answer ; ( 2 )

Q 3: Suez Canal is between __________?

1. Arabian Sea and Red Sea
2. Red Sea and North Sea
3. Mediterranean Sea and North Sea
4. Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea

Answer ; ( 4 )