Synopses & Reviews
This acclaimed book brings together scholars and diplomats from the Middle East, Europe, and North America to provide an objective, cross-cultural assessment of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. This fifth edition has been substantially revised with greater emphasis on current events, including the policies of the Obama administration, Islamist perceptions of U.S. involvement in the Middle East, and the U.S. relationship with Israel, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Afghanistan.Updated throughout, this edition also features five new chapters on the superpowers and the Middle East throughout the Cold War; the Bush and Obama administrations and the Arab–Israeli conflict; contemporary U.S.–Syrian relations; the importance of ideology to U.S.–Iranian relations under the last three administrations; and U.S. relations with Al Qaeda.
Review
"This book is indispensible for scholars and policymakers interested in understanding America’s past and current involvement in the Middle East. The essays are authoritative, compelling, and engaging. Collectively, they represent some of the smartest analysis on how the United States and the Middle East got where they are today." —Toby C. Jones, Rutgers University “An indispensible resource for understanding contemporary US policies in the region….This volume remains an authoritative resource for practitioners and academics, for students in courses in US foreign policy or Middle Eastern history, and for the general reading public. Highly recommended.” –Choice Reviews from the prior edition:
“This book, the best single work dealing with the relationship between the United States and the Middle East, has been updated to include new chapters on Turkey and Afghanistan, and new material that addresses important aspects of this fraught relationship, notably the Arab-Israeli conflict and the successive crises in the Gulf. With these additions, it remains a timely and useful work.” –Rashid Khalidi, Director, Center for International Studies, University of Chicago “David Lesch is to be commended for bringing about an important contribution to the literature on United States foreign policy in the Middle East. This book belongs in every university library, and it will serve as an outstanding secondary reader for classes on United States foreign policy.” –Digest of Middle East Studies “This volume makes a solid contribution to understanding the successes and mistakes [of the United States] in this critical region. Invaluable for courses on Middle East history, politics, and international relations.” –Choice “An excellent survey of the region and a welcomed addition as a reader on courses in U.S. foreign policy or Middle Eastern history.” –Journal of Third World Studies “A welcome collection.” –Foreign Affairs
Synopsis
Leading scholars and policy advisors provide comprehensive and authoritative coverage of historical, contemporary, and theoretical issues of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, from WWI to the present.
About the Author
David W. Lesch is professor of Middle East history at Trinity University. He is the author of several articles and books on the Middle East and the United States, including 1979: The Year That Shaped the Modern Middle East and The New Lion of Damascus. Mark L. Haas is associate professor in the Political Science Department and the Graduate Center for Social and Public Policy at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. He is the author of The Ideological Origins of Great Power Politics, 1789–1989.