To what extent did the reasons for and the nature of American and Soviet intervention in the Middle East between 1956 and 1982 differ?

The USSR was eager to forge an alliance with Egypt, for no better reason then the promise of influence in the area. America was arguably motivated by economic concerns regarding oil but as this was before Russia began selling weapons to countries in the area they truly had little real motivations to intervene. After Egypt’s loss in the Six Day War Russia became even more deeply involved. By the early 1970’s the number of Soviet personnel in Egypt had risen to 20,000. Soviet advisers' patronizing attitudes, Moscow's slow response to requests for more sophisticated equipment, and Cairo's desire for more freedom in preparing for a new conflict were considered by observers as some of the reasons for Sadat's decision to expel most Soviet military personnel in July 1972. The Soviets continued to provide equipment, spare parts, and replacements for equipment lost during the October 1973 War, but Sadat was becoming increasingly disenchanted with Egypt's reliance on Soviet weaponry. In March 1976, Sadat asked the People's Assembly to abrogate the 1971 Soviet-Egyptian Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation. After Israel and Egypt signed the Camp David Accords in 1978 a peace treaty which was essentially a victory for Israel and created stability in the area for decades, Egypt's relationship with The USSR was completely severed. The Kremlin had donated over 3 billion dollars to the Egyptian cause at the time of the dissolution of the relationship. The USSR’s increasing ambivalence toward the Middle-East during the 70’s was caused by the threat of military action on the part of Britain and France. On the surface it would appear that the Soviets were fanatical in their support of Egypt however this was not strictly correct. The Soviets threatened to intervene six times during the course of the conflict. These six threats have similar traits, they were only made after the peak of the crisis had passed when resolution was already in sight. The Soviets wanted to avoid direct military conflict with the U.S, therefore their threat were really bluffs. This cautiousness hurt Soviet influence in the Middle East and was partially responsible for the severing of ties between Egypt and Russia.

With regard to the motivations of America, reason is more easily found. America had a large Jewish population this influenced decisions made concerning Israel. The large Jewish Lobby in congress campaigned for the U.S to show unequivocal support of Israel. In 1948 this was a dangerous move that would alienate U.S oil interests, however the U.S still recognized the country. France remained the primary provider of weaponry for Israel during this period. The U.S wanted to remain neutral during the Suez Crisis so as not to alienate Nasser. At this point the only aid provided to Israel was food rations. The turn in policy came in 1967 during Lyndon B. Johnson's presidency, America went from remaining neutral to firmly picking a side. This created a great amount of distrust toward America from the Arab community. In 1973 America replaced France as the main provider of weaponry to Israel. This change to a more military approach toward the conflict was a result of the infamous Henry Kissinger, the once prominent diplomacy the U.S had shown was revised completely. The Camp David accord brokered By President Carter was in a sense the resolution of the Middle-East conflict  between Israel and Egypt. It was in the vested interests for both Israel and Egypt to have close ties with America thereby creating stability in the region.