Steven L. Spiegel is professor of political science at the University of California-Los Angeles.

• Introduction -- The Changing International Setting -- Superpower Conflict Resolution in the Middle East: Implications of the Persian Gulf Crisis -- Soviet-American Cooperation in the Middle East: The Changing Face of International Conflict -- Theoretical Underpinnings -- Preventing War in the Middle East: When Do Deterrence and Reassurance Work? -- Crisis Avoidance and Conflict Resolution: The Superpowers and the Middle East -- A Theoretical Analysis of U.S.-Soviet Conflict Management in the Middle East -- Historical Cases -- The Crisis Experience -- The Superpowers, Crisis, and the Middle East: Moments of Tension, Moments of Promise -- The Crisis Experience in the Middle East: Conflict Management Triumphant -- Arab-Israeli Crises, 1945–1990: The Soviet-American Dimension -- Cases in Soviet-Middle East Behavior: Two U.S. Interpretations -- The Dilemma of Superpower: Soviet Decision-making in the Six Day War, 1967 -- Competitive Politics and Soviet Policy Toward the Arab-Israeli Dispute, 1971–1972 -- The Palestinian Question -- Changes in the Arab-Israeli Conflict -- Historical Cases of U.S.-Soviet Conflict Management in the Middle East: The Palestinian Question -- The Palestinian Question and the and of the Cold War -- Lebanon, Syria, and Israel -- Triangle of Tension -- Policy Implications: Potential for Soviet-American Cooperation in the Middle East -- Bilateral Soviet-American Relations, Including Control of Arms Supplies and Regional Economic Development -- Arms Races and Arms Control in the Middle East -- Bilateral Soviet-American Cooperation in the Middle East: An Israeli View -- Beyond the Cold War: The Superpowers and the Arab-Israeli Conflict -- The Soviet Union and Middle East Settlement: New Factors -- Soviet-American Cooperation and the Future of the Arab-Israeli Conflict