Navigating the Cold War’s revolution: Nasser and the modernization of Yemen

Egypt played an underappreciated role in the Cold War. While traditionally considered a revolutionary actor by historians, by the late 1950s Nasser’s government had become the focus of a policy of accommodation promoted by the two major superpowers. Seen as a bulwark against truly radical and violent anti-imperialist forces, US and Soviet strategists hoped support for Nasser’s accommodating “revolution” would avoid a repeat of Korea earlier in the decade. As such, Nasser’s charismatic brand of populist-nationalism and advocacy of economic modernization were deemed essential to steering the region peaceably into a new postwar, postcolonial global order. Nasser’s sanctioned role as a regional enabler was exemplified in the attempted imposition of modernization in North Yemen, an exportation of Egypt’s model of revolution that instead of stabilizing the region introduced an entirely new disruptive force.