24. Blocking the Nile
To coerce the Egyptian regime of Gamal Abdel Nasser, the British government drew up secret plans to cut off the flow of the water, in an attempt to force their opponent to toe the line. In 1956, Britain still controlled Uganda, where the Owen Falls Dam lay astride the White Nile, the main source of the river flowing into Egypt. The idea was to cut off the flow in Uganda, thus reducing the Nile by seven eighths by the time it reached Egypt.
The plan was ultimately rejected, because it would deprive other countries between Uganda and Egypt of water, would take too long, and would produce a PR nightmare. Instead, Eden opted for direct military intervention. It turned out to be another bad idea. The result was the 1956 Suez Crisis, which ended with Britain being forced into a humiliating climb down, and the demise of Anthony Eden’s political career.
