ABSTRACT
Soviet-Egyptian relations became strained by the actions of Soviet personnel serving in Egypt. After 1967, Soviet involvement was substantial in the military, cultural, and economic sectors of Egypt. After Nasser's death in 1970, one commentator noted that the Soviets aimed at maintaining an atmosphere of "no war, no peace" in the Middle East and became "directly involved militarily during the Egyptian-Israeli war of attrition in 1970." The Soviet Fleet surpassed its performance of June 1967, when it had merely maintained a heightened presence. Since the fleet's performance in 1973 was the most ambitious use of the Soviet Navy for political purposes up to that time, it is instructive to examine each of its functions. Until the Soviet resupply of the Arabs began on October 9, superpower involvement was similar to that of 1967: The US-Soviet naval confrontation in the Mediterranean paralleled but remained divorced from the Arab Israeli conflict.
