This book, in its second, updated edition, fills a considerable part of the gap in the literature concerning the political, economic, and strategic importance of the Persian Gulf to U.S. interests.

David E. Long, a research analyst with the Department of State, was previously executive director of the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Georgetown University. Dr. Long holds an M.A. degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and a Ph.D. from George Washington University. He is currently working with Dr. Bernard Reich on a text on the government and politics of the Middle East.

Other Titles in This Series -- Preface to the Revised Edition -- The Land and People -- The Political Dynamics of the Gulf States -- Regional Politics of the Gulf -- The Gulf and International Politics -- Gulf Oil and Its Implications -- Economic Prospects in the Gulf -- The United States and the Gulf -- Appendix