David S. Sorenson is professor of national security studies at the US Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. Professor Sorenson formerly served on the faculties of Denison University, The Mershon centre at Ohio State University, where he also was a fellow at the centre for Middle Eastern Studies. The author or editor of numerous works on Middle East politics, defence budget politics, and national security affairs, Professor Sorenson has also served as Chair of the International Security Studies Section of the International Studies Association, and Chair of the International Security and Arms Control Section of the American Political Science Association.

"This is no ordinary textbook on the Middle East. It has a story to tell, and does so by evoking images and providing anecdotes that are culturally sensitive and insightful. This book is rich in content. It draws on religion, politics, economics, and geography to provide a comprehensive and balanced analytical perspective. I will definitely use it in my classrooms, and recommend it to anyone interested in the Middle East." --Hamoud Salhi, California State University, Dominguez Hills "This is a superbly tailored introductory survey of the contemporary Middle East. It is comprehensive, well written, sufficiently rigorous, and remarkably objective. Students will find its thematic framework a great help as they analyze and compare over sixteen country case studies. Sorenson's creative approach and impeccable scholarship in this text are sure to set the standards for years to come." --Abdalla M. Battah, Minnesota State University, Mankato

• Section I: The Historical, Religious, Economic, and Political Foundations of the Middle East 1. The Modern History of the Middle East 2. Religion in the Middle East 3. The Political Economy of the Middle East 4. Politics in the Middle East Section II: The Countries of the Arabian Peninsula and Arabian Gulf Area 5. Saudi Arabia 6. The Persian Gulf Emirates 7. Yemen 8. Iran 9. Iraq Section III: The Countries of the Eastern Mediterranean 10. Egypt 11. Turkey 12. Syria 13. Lebanon 14. Israel 15. Jordan 16. Palestine Section IV: The Countries of North Africa 17. Tunisia 18. Libya 19. Morocco 20. Algeria