Could the Crisis Have Been Avoided?

Could the Suez Crisis have been handled better?

The answer argues that British funding for the Aswan Dam could have prevented the confrontation from developing.

The preferred answer is preventive rather than military: avoid the crisis by sustaining the financial relationship with Nasser. Funding for the Aswan Dam could have been treated as a cost of doing business with an ambitious Egyptian government rather than as a reward for perfect alignment. Britain might also have tied its money to the participation of a British engineering firm, preserving influence while helping the project succeed. In this interpretation, economic engagement offered a less confrontational way to manage canal access than trying to undermine Nasser and then reverse nationalisation by force.