American policy was complicated by Nasser's arms purchases and by the still-developing Cold War habit of supporting convenient authoritarian governments. Washington opposed Anglo-French action while inheriting Britain's role as guarantor of last resort for the international order. Those responsibilities made the crisis more than a regional dispute or a simple contest between democracy and dictatorship. American power brought obligations and contradictions along with leverage over its allies.
Notable Point · 24:52-25:38
America's dilemma as guarantor of the international order
Washington opposed its allies' intervention while assuming Britain's older role as the ultimate guarantor of an international system it now had to manage.