When Diplomacy Fails Podcast

1956 - The Suez Crisis #2.15: Foiled Abroad

Having been challenged passionately at home by a disbelieving political nation in the last episode, here we see this suspicion and fear transplanted to Britain’s supposed allies, and to the United Nations. It was within the UN that some of the sneakiest and indefensible behaviour took place, as Britain was forced to veto measures which would have ordered a ceasefire between Egypt and Israel. This put her forward, alongside France, as a disturber of the peace, and as the hypocritical Soviets...

PhD Thesis: Episode 5.1

[PATRONS]

Are you sick of the Schleswig-Holstein question? Contemporaries of 1863-64 certainly were.

This complex dispute on the Dano-German border erupted into war in early 1864, when German Confederate forces accompanied by Prussians and Austrians, crossed the Rubicon into Schleswig. These two provinces had long been a source of tension and controversy, but when the Danish King attempted to reimagine Denmark's relationship to these Duchies, he drew the hostility of German natio...

1956 - The Suez Crisis #2.14: Attacked At Home

Having orchestrated an Israeli-Egyptian war, the plan now was to issue an ultimatum, and for Anglo-French forces to swoop into Egypt to separate the two belligerents. Such a noble act, Eden believed, would cloak the fact that Britain and France were really there to oust Nasser, recoup prestige and occupy the Suez Canal for Western benefit. It was a thoroughly imperialistic, backwards set of policy aims that moved Eden’s government forward, and what he seems to never have suspected during th...

PhD Thesis: Episode 4.2

[PATRONS]

In this episode we conclude our analysis of the Trent Affair, by looking at how the crisis was resolved in Britain's favour, even if Palmerston couldn't get everything he wanted. The Union returned those Confederate commissioners it had seized on the high seas, but no apology was forthcoming. Since the idea was to make the most of any diplomatic triumph, however imperfect, this satisfied the UK government, but it could not please everyone...

1956 - The Suez Crisis #2.13: When A Plan Comes Together

1956 Episode 2.13 examines the final moments of peace between 25-29 October, as the conspiracy to attack Egypt and make it look like an accident developed further.

In Britain, the focus was on the legal argument still, even despite the clear problems which Britain’s legal advisors in the Foreign Office had in painting any British attack on Egypt as legally justified. While some less informed Cabinet members, like the Lord Chancellor, insisted that there was grounds for claiming that B...

PhD Thesis: Episode 4.1

[PATRONS]

In this chapter, we examine the Trent Affair of 1861-62. The crisis began when Union sailors seized Confederate officials from a British vessel - an act which, on the surface, may not seem like much, but which was more than enough to provoke an Anglo-American War. The only hope was for Britain to gain satisfaction from Washington before the axe fell, and in anticipation of this quest for peaceful vindication Britain sent plentiful reinforcements to Canada, while developing a c...

1956 - The Suez Crisis #2.12: Collusion and Delusion

1956 Episode 2.12 takes us to the 22-24 October 1956, where the war plan that would create the Suez Crisis was created, developed and signed by Britain, France and Israel in an unassuming Parisian suburb.

This process was, of course, far from straightforward or guaranteed to produce a result. It required the French reassuring both the Israeli and British representatives about the solid nature of their plan, and it also demonstrated the lack of tact which Selwyn Lloyd in particular seeme...

PhD Thesis: Episode 3.3

[PATRONS]

With Anglo-American tensions running dangerously high by 1845, how did the Earl of Aberdeen manage to overcome the rhetoric of national honour, to deliver a compromise solution on Oregon which all could be happy with? Settle in my history friend, as we assess a remarkable exercise in PR which changed the future of Britain and United States as we know them today!

1956 - The Suez Crisis #2.11: A Protocol For War

The Sevres Protocol was neither developed nor signed in a day, and in the first two weeks of October, negotiations critically important to the later conflict were underway. At first, Foreign Secretary Selwyn Lloyd hoped to make use of the UN Security Council to gain British satisfaction in Egypt, and for a time he was successful in this aim, because Anthony Eden was ill and unable to order his subordinate around. Once Eden recovered though, Eden ramped up the pressure, and Lloyd was encourage...

1956 - The Suez Crisis #2.10: Israeli Sneaky

The Canadian, Australian and NZ governments were all uneasy at the prospect of war, and some, like the Canadian Foreign Minister Lester Pearson, advocated a diplomatic approach. While Eden forged ahead with an aggressive policy, torpedoing another conference on the Suez Canal in the process, he increasingly began to alienate the Americans. The PM didn’t seem to care what other nations thought, though he was eager to make even better friends with the French throughout September. It was aroun...

1956 - The Suez Crisis #2.9: The Fix Is In

We are almost ready to see these sneaky meetings take place, and for the infamous agreement take shape, but first, it is worth investigating another important and underrated angle of the Crisis. The key element of the Suez Crisis story that demonstrates how low Britain sank must be the manifest failure of the British Government to develop any legal argument in favour of their interventionist actions. In the past, formulating such an argument was simple – an act of aggression against British...

1956 - The Suez Crisis #2.8: Deception As Policy

While Eden worked feverishly to make the conflict he desired come together, the countless variables continued to haunt him. We see here a glimpse of a common theme which will occupy us later on – the use of legal arguments to support the Anglo-French operation, on the grounds that Nasser had infringed upon British ‘rights’ and that Britain was thus entitled to compensation. In this episode we also are introduced to one of banes of Eden’s life, the leader of the Labour Party Hugh Gaits...

1956 - The Suez Crisis #2.7: Blind Intrigue

In spring 1955, Britain remained a premier power in the Middle East, while American representation in that theatre was not particularly impressive, save for the commercial connections which American citizens had with the different oil barons there. In the space of a year though, disquiet in the Middle East and several threats to Britain’s sphere of influence there emerged, crowned by Nasser’s refusal to fall in line. The personality of Anthony Eden stands out during these eventful months,...

PhD Thesis: Episode 3.2

[PATRONS]

The arrival of President James K. Polk quickly changed the tone and temperature of Anglo-American relations after 1842. Unwilling to give ground over Oregon, and making compromise incredibly difficult in the process, Polk challenged the peaceful goals of Peel and Aberdeen. Polk, arguably the American answer to Palmerston, identified with the idea that concession was tantamount to dishonourable weakness, and politically damaging as well.

The best way to avoid war was to ...

1956 - The Suez Crisis #2.6: The Entente Rides Again!

We open our episode with a defining scene – President Nasser’s nationalisation of the Suez Canal. The nationalisation of the Canal was not the moment that the world flocked to condemn Nasser’s regime, as Anthony Eden may have hoped. For a time, the Egyptian leader would be seen as unstable, aggressive and unreasonable, but this bad press would die down as the Egyptians proved themselves very capable in handling the new responsibilities which the Suez Canal Company presented.

After...

1956 - The Suez Crisis #2.5: Oh No Cairo

What did the French have to fear from Colonel Nasser, and how did this tie in with later Anglo-French agreements? The answers can be found here. Also of note in this episode is the moment when the Anglo-American loan to Nasser was cancelled, which meant that the Egyptian leader would be unable to construct his Aswan Dam.

With this setback for Nasser came Anthony Eden’s effort to paint the event as a personal triumph for himself, when in reality, Britain had been led by the Americans. ...

PhD Thesis: Episode 3.1

[PATRONS]

Having finished up the second chapter on the nature of insult, here in Chapter Three we look at a period which may be more familiar - Anglo-American relations 1838-46. We have covered this period before for our Diplomacy: Britain vs America series, but here we engage in much deeper analysis of the rhetoric of national honour and its considerable role in complicating the relations between these two states. McLeod, the Caroline, and the negotiations over the Maine-Canada boundar...

1956 - The Suez Crisis #2.4: Britain Bitten

Here we see what kind of Government Anthony Eden led, and how he shook it up, or failed to shake it up, after he assumed the premiership in spring 1955. Anthony may have deserved his turn, but he would quickly exhaust the sense of goodwill he had built up over the years. In spite of his reputation for integrity and bravery when standing up to the appeasement policy of the 1930s, Eden proved wholly ill-equipped for dealing with this strange new world. Emerging from Churchill’s shadow, he fel...

1956 - The Suez Crisis #2.3: Egyptian Conniption

As the British government underwent a change and waved goodbye to great old men like Churchill, it was clear at the same time that this new government had no intention of changing its imperial tune. Egypt was a place to be held onto, not relinquished; Nasser was a figure to be loathed, rather than cooperated with; British prestige, as much as her long-standing strategic and security interests, depended on holding the Canal. That neither Churchill nor his successor in Anthony Eden proved capab...

1956 - The Suez Crisis #2.2: Suez, A Life

A French investment opportunity, an ancient idea, and a British masterstroke - discover in this episode how the Suez Canal became so monumentally important for British imperial interests in the latter 19th century, and how this interest was then carried over into the 20th century. After years of defending and expanding their stock in Suez, it was highly unlikely that Britain was going to give up its position there without a fight. Yet, at the same time, decolonisation trends across the world ...

1956 - The Suez Crisis #2.1: Bitter French Pills

In this episode, we will examine the painful post-war experience of France, why it was so reluctant to let go of its colonies and how this caused it more damage in the long run. As an integral, but largely forgotten player in the Crisis, understanding the French angle is essential for us. On many occasions, the fractured French government would be the only thing holding the also fractured plans for Suez together. Here, we discover what was moving the French in North Africa, and how its bitter...

1956 Part Two Introduction: The Suez Crisis

1956 now enters its second season, and we are confronted with several pressing questions. How did the British, French, Israelis and Americans become involved in Egypt, and how did these events affect what was ongoing in Hungary? The incredible spectacle of these two simultaneous crises, both caused by very different forces, and hosting very different characters, is what we have to examine next, so I hope you'll join me as we introduce the Suez Crisis - perhaps the greatest error of modern Bri...

PhD Thesis: Episode 2.4

[PATRONS]

In this chunky episode, we finish our analysis of Chapter 2, and the idea of insults to national honour, by looking at an infamous case from 1850 - the Don Pacifico Affair. 

In this crisis, Foreign Secretary Lord Palmerston focused his ire on the offences committed by Greece. After several efforts to acquire compensation for wronged British subjects in Athens failed, by late 1849 Palmerston asserted that he had lost patience with the young Hellenic Kingdom. One case...

1956 1.15: Socialism Stays

1956 Episode 1.15 examines the final moments of Imre Nagy, as the Soviet noose tightened around him.   

But the Kremlin was not safe yet. Of particular concern to Moscow and to the Hungarians was the stance of Yugoslavia, as its embassy in Budapest provided asylum to Imre Nagy and 40 other individuals responsible for guiding and leading the momentarily independent Hungarian state. The revolution may have been crushed within a few days, but it was evidently not going to be so s...

1956 1.14: Lessons Learned and Forgotten

1956 Episode 1.14 analyses the Soviet response in the first week of November 1956, as the rug was finally pulled on Hungarian independence.   

Having already removed his country from the Warsaw Pact and requested Western assistance, Nagy was persona non grata in Soviet minds, yet this Hungarian communist was not finished yet. If there was any chance at all that this Hungarian state could be preserved, he was willing to engage in whatever to took to protect his people from the ...

PhD Thesis: Episode 2.3

[PATRONS]

Welcome back to chapter two of my PhD thesis! Last time we concluded the First Opium War, and the conflict in Afghanistan, noting how Britain tended to treat powers outside of the West when insults were received. But how would Britain react to an insult which was plainly inconvenient to pursue? When Madrid insulted the British ambassador by rudely demanding his expulsion, there was certainly good reason to expect that the usual formula of satisfaction would follow insult, yet ...

1956 1.13: Crushing Hope

1956 Episode 1.13 examines the unlikely triumph of the Hungarians in Budapest, even as the Soviets schemed for revenge.   

After somehow wresting a ceasefire agreement from the Soviet Union, the Hungarian revolution appeared – against all odds – to be secured by 28th October. Yet, this was merely a pause for Moscow, it was not the end. As Hungarians began to dream of life outside the Soviet sphere, Soviet tanks were preparing to move, and figures within Imre Nagy’s tight...

1956 1.12: Hope Springs

1956 Episode 1.12 examines a key moment when a Hungarian student protest exploded into something far more encouraging, and for the Soviets, far more dangerous.   

The demands of the protesters – joined by workers, peasants, Hungarian communists, soldiers and many more figures besides – were as disconcerting as the threat the protest posed to Soviet control. Still more incredible than the growth of the protest was the transformation of this protest into a riot, and the furt...

PhD Thesis: Episode 2.2

[PATRONS]

Welcome back to Chapter 2 of the thesis! In this episode we continue our analysis of the First Opium War, by looking at the ongoing debates in Britain over strategy and morality. Was the very act of making war on China, and thus selling it more opium, inherently dishonourable, or did Britain have no choice but to repel this insult, and teach the Qing Empire a lesson? Furthermore, looking further afield to the conflict in Afghanistan, contemporaries were able to compare and ref...

1956 1.11: Gone But Nagy Forgotten

1956 Episode 1.11 looks at what happened when Moscow decided it’d be a good idea to force Rakosi, the avowed Stalinist, to share power with Imre Nagy, his opposite in almost every respect.

Rakosi wished to maintain the status quo even as his favourite weapons like the secret police were taken away, yet Nagy recognised and appreciated from an early stage that much would have to change. Hungary couldn’t continue on in the manner of a repressed, unhappy vassal, especially if Moscow wis...