Politics and International Relations in the Middle East surveys trends and prospects for the region in the wake of the Gulf crisis. Prominent academics and specialists from the British Foreign Office combine to evaluate and provide informed comment on the regional political agenda in the post-Cold War era.

These authors discuss the long-term political trends of the Arab states, security structures in the Gulf, the role of national boundaries, the economic impact of the Gulf War, Iran's future, Russian foreign policy in the region and the significance of the Madrid Peace conference.

This authoritative volume stresses the need to place traditional conflicts such as land, water, economics and internal political rivalries in the context of more recent patterns of political change, such as the partial Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories and the establishment of limited Palestinian autonomy in Gaza and Hebron.