A foundation of sand: United States public diplomacy, Egypt, and Arab nationalism, 1953--1960

This dissertation is an examination of US public diplomacy efforts in the Arab world during the Eisenhower administration, focusing primarily on the US response to Egypt and Arab nationalism. The primary contribution that this study makes to the literature on US relations with the Middle East is its emphasis on the so-called "Arab street" and the ways in which Eisenhower and his staff thought about and tried to manipulate Arab public opinion. The most important conclusion of the study was that although Eisenhower was a true believer in the importance of foreign public opinion and public diplomacy, his top foreign policy adviser---Secretary of State John Foster Dulles---did not share his views, at least not with regard to the Arab world. Partly because of this difference of opinion, the two leaders often made policy decisions that only exacerbated Arab anti-Americanism. Even though scholars generally agree that he was a strong leader on foreign policy, in the case of US relations with the Arab world and public diplomacy in general, Eisenhower often deferred to Dulles's views, frequently against his own---better---instincts.