Nasser was succeeded by his vice president, Anwar Sadat,
another officer from the 1952 coup. President Sadat was widely
predicted to be an inconsequential Egyptian leader, but he
defied expectations with some bold and risky political moves.
First, he expelled the Soviets from Egypt, severing his country’s
relationship with its Communist benefactor, and began seeking
stronger ties with the West, particularly the United States. Sec-
ond, he decided to shake up the stalemated political landscape
of the Middle East by joining Syria in a surprise attack against
Israel in October 1973. Egyptian forces made remarkable prog-
ress against strong Israeli defenses east of the Suez Canal and
pushed well into the Sinai Peninsula. These gains were soon