It is in the Middle East that the U.S. has been made to confront its attitudes on the use of force, the role of allies, and international law. The history of the U.S. in the Middle East, then, becomes an especially revealing mirror on America's view of its role in the wider world. In this wise, objective, and illuminating history, Lawrence Freedman shows how three key events in 1978-1979 helped establish the foundations for U.S. involvement in the Middle East that would last for thirty years, without offering any straightforward or bloodless exit options: the Camp David summit leading to the I.

Dramatis personae --Maps -- Preface -- 1. Choosing enemies -- 2. The first wave -- pt. 1. Jimmy Carter -- 3. Camp David -- 4. Revolution in Iran -- 5. Uprising in Afghanistan -- pt. 2. Ronald Reagan -- 6. The Mujahideen -- 7. In and out of Beirut -- 8. Iraq -- 9. Iran-Contra -- 10. The Tanker War -- pt. 3. George H.W. Bush -- 11. Iraq takes Kuwait -- 12. Desert Storm -- 13. Intifada -- pt. 4. William Clinton -- 14. Dual containment -- 15. Return to Camp David -- 16. Choosing America -- pt. 5. George W. Bush -- 17. The War on Terror -- 18. Regime change -- 19. Insurgency -- 20. Suicides and assassinations -- 21. The main enemy? -- 22. Friends and enemies -- Acknowledgments -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index.