Arabia, the Gulf and the West

Book excerpt: First published more than 15 years ago, this book was immediately hailed as an indispensable guide for understanding a much misunderstood region. It discusses in rich & fascinating detail the nations of the Persian Gulf on which the West's security & oil supplies now more than ever depend -- their political regimes & policies, their economies, & the mindsets of their leaders. It also tells the story of how the West's supine policies deliberately pulled us out of the region & led to a dangerous power vacuum in the world's most important strategic area -- a vacuum that the West feels it must fill by force of arms.