Packed with facts, figures and brilliantly informed background analysis, this is an indispensable, highly readable guide to the political conflicts in today's Middle East. Written by two of Europe's foremost experts on the region, The New A-Z of the Middle East is a handbook with a difference: seeking to provide the reader with the vital keys required to understand the various social, religious and economic trends, political events and personalities that have shaped its destiny. The book covers all the political issues that have affected the region since the break-up of the Ottoman Empire, including the Palestine-Israel conflict, the current crisis in Iraq, reformist movements in Iran, and the status of Political Islam throughout the region.