The Diplomat: Lester Pearson and the Suez Crisis

by Antony Anderson

Saturday, November 3, 1956
The United Nations, New York City
about 10 p.m.

Lester Pearson, Canada's foreign minister (and future prime minister) stands before the United Nations General Assembly. He is about to speak, reading from a proposal composed of seventy-eight painstakingly chosen words. These words, shaped by caution and hope, are a last-ditch attempt to prevent a conflict in Egypt from igniting a conflagration throughout the Middle East. Pearson, in perhaps his finest hour, is about to carve out a razor's edge of common ground to bring together angry allies and bitter enemies by suggesting and making possible the creation of the first UN peacekeeping force.

Pearson's diplomacy throughout the Suez Crisis launched a blold experiment in international security and cemented Canada's reputation as “a moderate, mediatory, middle power.” and yet, until now, no one has told the full story of how this Canadian diplomat led the world back from the brink of war. In a unique blending of biography and political history, Antony Anderson's The Diplomat draws from diplomatic cables, memoirs, diaries, anecdotes, official memoranda, and exclusive author interviews to create not only a compelling portrait of Pearson, the man at the centre of the negotiations, but also a nuanced analysis of the political maze navigated by Pearson to avert a bloody war

Genres: History, Canada, Egypt, Biography, Africa, Nonfiction

400 pages, Hardcover

First published September 22, 2015

About the author

Antony Anderson has written and produced for numerous Canadian and international broadcasters, including CBC Radio, the Discover Channel, History Television, and TVOntario. His independent documentaries for Global Television include Facing the Century and Foreign Fields, a critical look at Canada’s fading role on the world stage. His articles have appeared in the Dorchester Review, the National Post, the Ottawa Citizen, the Toronto Star, the Halifax Chronicle Herald, the Winnipeg Free Press, the Hamilton Spectator, the Vancouver Province, and Flair magazine.

Reviews

[Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

My near-unfailing adoration for Pearson aside, Anderson's book is an uncommonly gripping combination of history and biography. My only quibble is that the quotations scattered throughout are a slight irritant to the flow.

[Joe Corrigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent and insightful investigation of the role Lester Pearson played in leading the UN in bringing a decade of relative peace to the middle east. At the height of the Cold War, the rash policies of Britain and France in response to Egypt's nationalization of the Suez canal threatened to tear the western alliance apart much to the delight of the Soviet Union. Pearson's skillful brokerage between the US and Britain helped bring about a workable solution. Also worth noting, this was a key moment in Canada developing its own identity on the world scene. Criticized for a lack of loyalty to Great Britain, the traditional mother county, Canada asserted its independence in foreign policy. It also led to our reputation as peace keeping nation. Pearson's passion for the creation of a truly Canadian flag when he became Prime Minister in 1963 was inspired by Egypt's reluctance to accept Canadian troops in an active role in the Suez peace keeping contingent. Our flag of the day was too closely associated with Britain's Union Jack. A good read for anyone interested in Canadian history.

[David Akin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly gripping diplomatic history!