Simons addresses these questions, considering the roles played by the disparate power bases in this rapidly changing situation, both in a socially crippled Iraq (Kurds, Shi'is and others) and in some of the key states in the region (including Turkey, Iran, Syria and Israel/Palestine). How will they respond to a Pax Americana? What Islamist reactions might the new US presence engender? How does oil factor into the equation? What can the United Nations now hope to achieve? And what is the significance of America's expanding global hegemony? Simons brings to bear impeccable research and a comprehensive understanding of the historical and modern factors underlying the situation in the Middle East.