America in the Middle East During the Cold War

America in the Middle East During the Cold War is a book that grapples with the question of how the United States managed to succeed in the Middle East during the time of the superpower struggle. This book assesses the determinants of America’s policy toward this critical region through the prism of its most consequential crises. It outlines the emergence of the Cold War struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union and how the Middle East came to occupy a prominent place in that rivalry. Among the questions that this book explores are: How did the United States come to identify its interests in the postwar Middle East? How did the interplay of domestic concerns and strategic priorities come to condition America’s approach? By exploring this critical period in U.S-Middle East relations, this book hopes to shed light not just on important historical topics but also draw lessons about moving forward in what is bound to be a turbulent region for some time to come.