ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the Syrian crisis of 1957 and the associated complex political environment of the Middle East in the 1950s. The American-Syrian crisis officially began on August 12, 1957, when the Syrian government announced the discovery of a US-engineered attempt to overthrow the regime, which the Dwight D. Eisenhower administration believed was close to becoming a Soviet "outpost" in the region. The Eisenhower administration was confident that it could count on the support of Saudi Arabia to arrange the Arab response, since King Sa'ud, upon his visit to Washington earlier in the year, had been officially touted as an ally of the United States in the Middle East as a counterpoise to Abd al-Nasser. As early as September 11, 1957, Nasser was scheming with Syrian officials to counter Sa'ud. With Egyptian troops on the ground in Syria, Nasser was in a position to regain his influence in the country, manipulate the political process, and protect his Ba'thist/army assets.
