Crisis and Crossfire: The United States and the Middle East Since 1945

As part of Potomac Books' Issues in the History of American Foreign relations, Crisis and Crossfire provides a brief (135 pages of text) exploration of America's Middle East policy since 1945. The book's main audience is most likely readers with very little background knowledge who are looking for an introduction to the subject. This does not mean however, that people well-versed in American foreign policy won't find the book useful on at least a very basic level. The book is organized chronologically, with four chapters devoted to broader Middle East policy, and three devoted to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Hahn does skim over a lot of complex issues, but the book isn't meant to be an all-inclusive history. The only real complaint that can be made in terms of ignoring an issues is perhaps the absence of a discussion of the Iraqi revolution in 1958. Chapter 3 is titled "Tumultuous Decades: Nationalism and Counterrevolution, 1950s-1960s. In this chapter, Hahn discusses Iran and Egypt, but there should have been a section devoted to Iraq. This is perhaps somewhat remedied by a significant appendix of government documents, something that doesn't normally get published in such large numbers in these types of books. All in all, Crisis and Crossfire is a great and quick read that serves its purpose as an introduction to newcomers, but also as a quick refresher to those with a background in the subject. Hahn writes in a clear style and the book could easily be read in a day if necessary.

Peter L. Hahn's CRISIS AND CROSSFIRE: THE UNITED STATES AND THE MIDDLE EAST SINCE 1945 joins the 'Issues in the History of American Foreign Relations' studies in examining the history of U.S. encounters with the Middle East since 1945. Primary-source documents serve as the foundation of a survey of intentions, politics, diplomacy, and underlying influences on encounters in a text perfect for classroom adaptation.