ABSTRACT
By late 1952, it seemed that Egypt’s new leaders no longer spoke with one voice. For the first time since the coup detat, criticism of US policy towards Egypt was expressed by ‘Abd al-Nasir, the strongest figure among the officers. Two significant events took place on the international scene during the first quarter of 1953. First, the end of Truman’s presidency and the accession of President Eisenhower in January 1953. Second, the beginning of a new era in the Soviet Union after the death of Stalin in March 1953. The signing on 24 February 1955 of a mutual defence pact between Iraq and Turkey, known as the Baghdad Pact, put an end to Western efforts to win Egyptian support for the Northern Tier security arrangement and led Nasir to change his view of future co-operation with the West. In his struggle against the Baghdad Pact, Nasir found a new ally – the Soviet Union.
