Modern Conflict in the Greater Middle East: A Country-by-Country Guide

This reference work covers the history of Middle East nations, addressing military, political, diplomatic, and ideological trends in each respective country and enabling readers to better understand the factors behind the crises shaping the Middle East today. Modern Conflict in the Greater Middle East: A Country-By-Country Guide is a concise reference for students exploring the importance of each nation-state in the Middle East and their level of involvement in major conflicts in the region. It supplies the broad historical background necessary for readers to understand each country's unique role in the conflicts that have characterized the region since the end of World War I. The book also enables readers to grasp the various motives and ideologies that have shaped each nation's military objectives and to appreciate the political and social climates of each of these countries that propelled them into various wars. The book presents a chapter-by-chapter discussion of the origins and impacts of war on specific Middle Eastern countries, giving readers an in-depth understanding of the global importance of the conflicts within the region. These chapters—along with detailed timelines, sidebars, and primary source documents—will help readers grasp the connections between individuals, developments, and conflicts in the Middle East and events and developments such as European imperialism, World Wars I and II, U.S. foreign policy during and after the Cold War, the formation of the state of Israel, Arab nationalism, the emergence of the oil industry in the region, and the origins of radical Islam.

Table of Contents:
Preface Introduction Countries Afghanistan Algeria Bahrain Cyprus Egypt Iran Iraq Israel Jordan Kuwait Lebanon Libya Morocco Oman Pakistan Qatar Saudi Arabia Syria Tunisia Turkey United Arab Emirates Yemen Primary Documents 1. Declaration of the First Zionist Congress, Basel, Switzerland, August 1897 2. The Sykes-Picot Agreement: Sir Edward Grey to Paul Cambon, May 15–16, 1916 3. The Balfour Declaration: British Foreign Secretary Arthur J. Balfour to Lord Rothschild, November 2, 1917 4. United Nations Security Council, Resolution Adopted at Its 30th Meeting, April 4, 1946 5. U.S. Recognition of Israel, May 14, 1948 6. Egyptian Law Nationalizing the Suez Canal Company [Excerpt], July 26, 1956 7. Abba Eban, Knesset Statement [Excerpt], May 13, 1969 8. United Nations Security Council Resolution 338, October 22, 1973 9. Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty, March 26, 1979 10. U.S. Department of State, Statement on Afghanistan, December 26, 1979 11. Department of State, Daily Press Briefing on U.S. Policy toward the Iran-Iraq War and toward Exports to Iraq, May 14, 1982 12. Israel's Assumptions with Regard to the Baker Peace Plan, November 5, 1989 13. President George H. W. Bush, Announcement of the Deployment of U.S. Armed Forces to Saudi Arabia for Operation desert shield, August 8, 1990 [Excerpt] 14. President George H. W. Bush, "The New World Order," Address before a Joint Session of Congress on the Cessation of the Persian Gulf Conflict, March 6, 1991 [Excerpts] 15. Brent Scowcroft, "Don't Attack Saddam," August 15, 2002 16. President George W. Bush, Address to the Nation on Iraq, March 17, 2003 17. White House Press Statement on Lifting of Sanctions on Libya, September 20, 2004 18. President Obama on Military Operations against ISIS, September 10, 2014 Contributors Index About the Editor

About the Author :
Spencer C. Tucker, PhD, has been senior fellow in military history at ABC-CLIO since 2003. He is the author or editor of more than 50 books and encyclopedias, many of which have won prestigious awards.

Review :
Tucker is to be commended for compiling a carefully researched and succinctly written ready-reference volume. Highly relevant for most collections. Public libraries especially should take note. The content is accessible enough for high schoolers doing research or for the curious lay person yet comprehensive enough for college study.