While one part of the Middle East, the Arab-Israeli zone, seems to be moving toward peace, the other major subregion, the Persian Gulf, remains potentially explosive. That, at least, is the view of most of the contributors to this volume. Dual containment may have a certain short-term logic, but few seem to believe that it can provide a lasting framework for gulf security. Indeed, any number of developments, starting with a change of regime in Baghdad, could undermine current policies. The issues likely to produce conflict go well beyond traditional interstate rivalries and include demographic, technological, and ideological trends. Unlike many such volumes, this one gives serious attention to the Kurdish issue and to Turkey's role in the region.
