The 1954 Anglo-Egyptian Suez evacuation marked Britain’s power decline in the region

Evidence

Now that the fog of battle and the mists of diplomacy are clearing from the Middle Eastern scene, it is becoming apparent that certain fundamental changes have taken place. One of these has been the decline of British power. The turning point came in July, 1954, when, a few weeks after the Eisenhower-Churchill conversations in Washington, Britain and Egypt reached agreement for the evac­ uation by the British of the Suez Canal zone. Great expectations were placed in that agreement. At the time, the hope was widely entertained and still more widely expressed that, with the removal of the final Egyptian grievance against the West, real friendship and co-operation would at last become possible. — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans, 1176