Riding the Tiger: The Middle East Challenge After the Cold War

Dramatic changes in the global security environment have necessitated a fundamental reassessment of U.S. interests and policy worldwide. This book focuses on the underlying forces at work in the Middle East, the challenges the United States will face in the region in the coming decade, and how they will influence U.S. interests and future strategy. The contributors go beyond traditional perspectives in analyzing such critical issues as state-to-state conflicts in the Arab-Israeli and Persian Gulf arenas; growing Western dependence on Middle East oil; an increasingly lethal arms race that may upset the regional balance; competition for scarce resources, such as water, in non-oil states; and ethnic, sectarian, and ideological forces, such as the Islamic revival and pressures for democracy, that will affect regional stability and U.S. interests. Throughout, the authors take a fresh look at strategic priorities, the policy options available, and the dilemmas presented by conflicting U.S. interests. The many layers of analysis are woven together intricately but realistically.