Examines how the Camp David summit leading to the Israel-Egypt Treaty, the Iranian Islamic revolution, and the failed Soviet intervention in Afganistan all influenced America's strategic and policy choices and led to its current involvement in the MiddleEast.

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.