This collection analyses the three major developments of the latter part of the 20th century on the future of the Middle East in the 21st century: the Arab-Israeli peace process; the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran; and the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. An epilogue discusses the impact of the terrorist attacks of September 11 on the region and the efforts of the US and the EU to build an anti-terrorist coalition in the Arab world while at the same time seeking to devise a solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.