"Although it seems almost incredible today, the United States had relatively little interest in the Middle East before 1945. But the dynamics and outcome of World War II elevated the importance of the Middle East in the American mind, and the United States has viewed the region as an area of vital interest to its security and economy ever since." "Peter L. Hahn explains how the projection of American power into the region has had consequences that have forever changed the United States and the Middle East, with the rise of al Qaeda and the turbulent occupation of Iraq being the latest examples. Crisis and Crossfire surveys and analyzes the broad contours of fifty years of U.S. involvement in the region."--Jacket.

List of illustrations -- Series editor's note -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- National security: the genesis of U.S. involvement in the Middle East -- Into the middle of a fight: the United States and the Arab-Israeli conflict to 1961 -- Tumultuous decades: nationalism and counterrevolution, 1950s-1960s -- Unending controversy: the Arab-Israeli conflict, 1961-1982 -- Revolution, war, and terrorism: the Middle East at center stage, 1970s-1980s -- Peace process: the U.S. approach to the Arab-Israeli conflict, 1982-2005 -- Messy little wars: U.S. operations in the Middle East since 1990 -- Conclusion.