Majid Tehranian is currently Professor of International Communication at the University of Hawaii and Director of the TODA Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research. He is the author of a number of books on international relations and edits Peace and Policy.

'Kepel's book is a wonderfully panoramic account of political Islam that weaves the story of demographic, class and political change in different Muslim countries together with the story of the international struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran for the future of Islam.' -The Guardian 'This work is deeply researched, deeply measured and deeply instructive-- the best such survey available and likely to remain so for a while.' -Justin Wintle, Sunday Times '...Halliday's contribution to the debate on September 11th is thoughtful, readable and informative, a combination which elevates it above Tariq Ali and most of the competition in this field.' -Irish Times 'The virtue of this excellent book is the broadness of its coverage of the Islamist movements.' -Malise Ruthven, Prospect 'Kepel has the knack of explaining how events in one part of the Islamic world have affected developments elsewhere, bringing coherence to the world that Westerners call "Islamic Fundamentalism."' -Daily Telegraph

• Contributors ix Preface xv 1. Introduction: Triple Track Diplomacy in West Asia Majid Tehranian 1 Part One: The Past as Prologue 2. West Asia from Mansur to Saddam Nur Yalman 21 3. Trans-Mediterranean-Gulf Geostrategic Security Linkages Mohammad El-Sayed Selim 29 Part Two: Present Challenges and Opportunities 4. Security, Cooperation, and the US Role in the Gulf Amin Saikal 45 5. Saudi-Iranian Relations: Implications for Gulf Security Saleh Alkhatlan 55 6. Territorial Disputes and Security of West Asia Pirouz Mojtahed-Zadeh 69 7. A Russian Perspective on West Asian Security Vitaly V. Naumkin 87 8. American Perspectives on Gulf Security Stephen Zunes 97 9. Oil, US Interests, and Gulf Stability Richard W. Murphy 121 10. The Curse of Oil Amir A. Alanbari 129