ANZUS and the Early Cold War

The final major chapter of this book examines Australian, New Zealand and American responses to the 1956 Suez Crisis. This pivotal event publicly exposed a bitter rift in Anglo-American relations and essentially confirmed the end of British world leadership. It also exposed noticeable differences between Australia, New Zealand and the United States over the control of the Suez Canal, defence policy in the region, and Britain’s continued role in world affairs. For Canberra and Wellington, Suez starkly exposed the limitations to supporting Britain when London’s views were at odds with those in Washington. It provides a major insight into just how seriously Australia and New Zealand struggled to manage competing relationships with the United States and Britain, even after the US became a crucial component of the Tasman countries’ defence policies.