This revised edition gives an overview of the Middle East from the end of World War I to the present day. Every country is analyzed in detail. Further chapters deal with such broad themes as oil in the region, the Kurdish question and the perennial problem of the Palestinians.

This revised edition gives an overview of the Middle East from the end of World War I to the present day. Every country is analyzed in detail. Further chapters deal with such broad themes as oil in the region, the Kurdish question and the perennial problem of the Palestinians. The guide includes: the Gulf War and its aftermath; Israel and the Arab states; the Palestinian problem; the Iranian Revolution; the Iran-Iraq War; civil war in the Lebanon; minorities and migrant workers; the politics of oil; and Islamic fundamentalism. Detailed appendices cover population growth and GDP; defence spending; the Arab-Israeli conflict; the Iran-Iraq War; the Gulf War; and ethnic minorities in Lebanon.