ABSTRACT
Two simple and compelling events have focused global attention on the Middle East: the early twentieth-century discovery of petroleum in Saudi Arabia and Iran and, by mid-century, the establishment of the state of Israel and its ongoing conflict with Arab states and peoples in the region. Little else has mattered in the evolving relationships between states near and far. As the global economy became increasingly reliant on petroleum, natural gas, and petrochemicals, the central significance of the region in global politics became indisputable. War has also roiled the region, as have revolution, political oppression, foreign intervention, cultural clashes with the West, and a growing interest in weapons of mass destruction. In short, the vast expanse from Morocco to Iran has witnessed simmering rivalries internally while earning extraordinary attention from the major global powers.
