'The most authoritative account to date of the tumultuous events that marked the transition from British to American predominance in the Persian Gulf. Gause's meticulous reconstruction of regional political interactions illuminates and informs, while gently puncturing a handful of myths that have sprouted during the past half century to explain the many twists and turns of revolution, war and struggles for power in one of the most turbulent regions in the world.' Gary Sick, Senior Research Scholar and Director of the Gulf/2000 research project on the Persian Gulf at Columbia University
'Finally a book on the recent crises of the Middle East that is neither sensationalist nor ideologically driven. Gause instead tries to inform and explain, placing events such as the Iranian revolution and Iraq's various wars in a regional security context. Foreign policy of the Gulf states is more about managing domestic vulnerabilities than rational pursuit of national interests. The reader gets just enough theory to challenge some conventional assumptions, and lots of strong narrative to make sense of the events being discussed. Teachers, students and general readers will welcome this excellent book.' William B. Quandt, University of Virginia
'In a whole series of stellar recent book[s] on the international relations of the Persian Gulf, Gregory Gause's ranks among the best. Gause has written a well-researched, thorough and balanced account of the evolution of the regional security system in the Persian Gulf since the early 1970s. ... undoubtedly, an essential read for anyone interested in the politics of a region that has long been a source of competition and tension among regional and global actors and, ironically, object of scholarly neglect. ... This is clearly a work of solid scholarship by someone with a highly perceptive knowledge of the region. ... I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in an in-depth understanding of the international relations of the Persian Gulf.' International Affairs
