How did the Arab-Israeli War in 1973 place detente under pressure?

Israel: the context

Israel was founded in 1948, immediately after WW2. Surrounding Arab nations opposed this, and declared their commitment to destroy Israel.

Suez crisis 1956:

Egypt seized control of the Canal from France and Britain, Israel attacked the Sinai peninsular. The USSR supported Egypt and threatened to use nuclear force against Britain and France.

Outcome: Egypt controlled the Suez Canal and the UN established a presence in the region.

Superpowers and the Middle East

Before the 1960s US presence in the Middle East was minimal. E.g the US had not supported Israel during the Suez Crisis. Eisenhower released his doctrine in 1957.

After the Suez Crisis Egypt's General Nasser received military aid and military support from the Soviets and was vocally committed to the destruction of Israel. The USA began to offer significant support to Israel from the 1960s.

Superpowers and the Middle East #2

However, the US-Israeli relationship was not straightforward:

The US had not supported Israel during the Suez Crisis in 1956. They were increasingly dependent on oil from the Arab states. Whilst increasing support for Israel.

1967: Six Day War

In June 1967, Egypt increased troops in the Suez (armed and supported by the Soviets). Israel interpreted this as threatening (Israel's population was 2m and they were surrounded by large hostile Arab states numbering 90m). Israel had US political support but not military support. Israel attacked Egypt and successfully fought off combined forces from Egypt, Jordan and Syria.

Significance of the Six Day War

Nasser had pledged to 'wipe Israel off the map'. which did not happen. Israel humiliated the Arab world (20,000 losses from Egypt, Jordan and Syria troops, whilst the Israeli's lost 1,000). Israel captured territory and trebled in size (Sinai, Gaza, West Bank, Golan, and controversially Jerusalem). The Palestinian Liberation Army gained independence from Egypt.

OUTCOME: a sequel was a certainty.

Changing context

Oct 1970: Nasser died, and was replaced by Anwar Sadat as President of Egypt.

Feb 1972: Nixon visited the PRC.

May 1972: Nixon visited Moscow; SALT I

Sadat did not like detente, and thought the Soviets placed their relationship to the USA above their support for Egypt. 'Corrective Revolution': Sadat began expelling all Soviet personnel from Egypt.

6-25th Oct 1973: The Yom Kippur War

6th Oct 1973 Sadat (joint with Syria) attacked through the Sinai in the hope that international pressure would force Israel out of the Sinai. It was Yom Kippur- the most sacred Jewish (Israeli) festival- and it also coincided with Ramadan. Initially the war went well for the Arab nations, using Soviet weapons (rocket-propelled grenades and shoulder-launched anti-aircraft weapons). However, the Israelis mobilised quickly, launched a counter-attack and came within 65 miles of Cairo.

Despite initial reluctance, Nixon ordered massive military support for Israel.

What happened?

The UN passed a resolution in the Security Council that asked all countries to bring a temporary stop to the war. The ceasefire failed when the Israeli army advanced South to reach Suez. Brezhnev states that if the US troops did not send troops that he would send Soviet troops to the area; this was wrongly perceived as a threat and the US put their military on DEFCON 3. Beacuse of this tension between the US and the Soviets, Israel was persuaded to agree to a ceasefire, and the war ended on the 22nd of October.

Saudi Arabia and other Arab oil exporters had responded to US support for Israel by declaring an oil embargo against the US, leading to a 400% hike in oil prices!

Detente under pressure

The Soviet Union supported and armed Egypt. The USA supported and armed Israel using Portuguese bases in the Azores. A ceasefire was approved for 22nd October 1973 (largely as a result of negotiations between the US and Soviet Union) which would come into effect 12 hours later, at 6:52pm.

A straightforward ceasefire?

The timing of the ceasefire was after dark, and it was impossible for satellite surveillance to determine where the front lines were when the fighting was supposed to stop. During the night, nine Israeli tanks were destroyed in various locations. It is unclear which side fired first, but Israeli field commanders, frustrated because they had been unable to seize the northern Cairo-Suez road, used the skirmishes as an excuse to resume the drive south.

What next?

Kissinger, Brezhnev and Sadat engaged in frantic diplomacy. Brezhnev threatened to enter the war to support Egypt if the USA wouldn't enforce the ceasefire.

The winner

Kissinger (shuttle diplomacy): "Eliminate Soviet influence in the Middle East... Detente was not a favour we did to the Soviets- we sought to draw the Middle East into closer relations with the Soviets (using detente to expel Soviet influence).

The loser

Brezhnev on 4th Nov 1973:

"We have offered them (the Arabs) a sensible war for so many years. But no, they wanted to fight. They had double superiority in tanks and aircraft, triple in artillery, and in air defence and anti-tank weapons they had absolute supremacy. And what? Once again they were beaten. We are not going to fight for them."

The effects on detente

First big test for superpower detente since the CMC. The 1973 conflict had the potential to escalate into a much bigger war and it was thanks to detente that the situation was defused. The 1973 War did undermine detente but it didn't finish it off. Both sides sought allies to counter each others influences in the region.

Outcomes

Thanks to Kissinger's shuttle diplomacy it was the USA that emerged with more influence in the Middle East than the Soviets. Egypt drew closer to the USA- and effectively recognised the state of Israel (Camp David summit, September 1978). Israel and Iran drew closer to the USA. The Soviets drew closer to radical nationalist regimes (Syria, Iraq and Libya) and recognised the Palestine Liberation Organisation).