
Crisis and Crossfire
The United States and the Middle East Since 1945
Peter L. Hahn(Author)
Potomac Books Inc (Publisher)
2nd Edition
Published on 20. April 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
336 pages
978-1-64012-577-3 (ISBN)
Description
Crisis and Crossfire traces the origins of the contemporary challenges facing the United States in the Middle East by analyzing the broad contours of U.S. policy in the region since the government's first involvement there in the 1940s. Peter L. Hahn evaluates U.S. policy in the context of such global phenomena as the Cold War and the multipolar international order that emerged in the early 2000s. He explains how the United States has tried, with varying degrees of success, to curtail, modify, and channel Arab and Iranian nationalist movements to serve U.S. interests.
Crisis and Crossfire examines the U.S. approach to the Arab-Israeli conflict through eight decades, exploring the interstate wars of the 1940s-1980s, the quests to make peace in the 1970s-2010s, and the enduring strife between Israel and Palestine. Hahn details how the United States has assumed growing responsibility for regional stability and security in the Middle East since World War II, culminating in involvement in the Gulf War to liberate Kuwait and the invasions and occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq. This second edition provides an objective explanation of the Israeli-Palestinian Gaza War; the U.S. stand-off with Iran; the proxy wars in Lebanon, Yemen, Libya, and Syria; the threat of terrorism; and related topics.
Crisis and Crossfire examines the U.S. approach to the Arab-Israeli conflict through eight decades, exploring the interstate wars of the 1940s-1980s, the quests to make peace in the 1970s-2010s, and the enduring strife between Israel and Palestine. Hahn details how the United States has assumed growing responsibility for regional stability and security in the Middle East since World War II, culminating in involvement in the Gulf War to liberate Kuwait and the invasions and occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq. This second edition provides an objective explanation of the Israeli-Palestinian Gaza War; the U.S. stand-off with Iran; the proxy wars in Lebanon, Yemen, Libya, and Syria; the threat of terrorism; and related topics.
Reviews / Votes
"Crisis and Crossfire is a balanced and measured tour through the U.S. encounter with the Middle East since 1945. A survey with a point of view, it is interpretive without being polemical. The new chapters are marked by comprehensive coverage, evenhandedness, and true insight into both regional actors and U.S. policymakers."-Mary Ann Heiss, author of Fulfilling the Sacred Trust "Crisis and Crossfire provides near-encyclopedic details about the U.S. involvement in the Middle East in the past eighty years. With evenhanded analysis, Hahn lets readers draw their own conclusions. This is just the kind of book we need right now."-Douglas Little, author of American OrientalismMore details
Edition
Second Edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Dulles
United States
Edition type
New edition
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
27 photographs, 3 maps, index
Dimensions
Height: 224 mm
Width: 149 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
474 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-64012-577-3 (9781640125773)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Previous edition

Book
10/2005
Potomac Books Inc
€44.79
Shipment within 3-4 weeks
Person
Peter L. Hahn is Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor of History at Ohio State University. He is the author of seven books on the history of U.S. diplomacy in the Middle East, including Missions Accomplished? The United States and Iraq since World War I.
Content
List of Illustrations
Note on the Second Edition
Acknowledgments
Introduction
List of Abbreviations
1. National Security: The Genesis of U.S. Involvement in the Middle East
2. Into the Middle of a Fight: The United States and the Arab-Israeli Conflict to 1961
3. Tumultuous Decades: Nationalism and Counterrevolution, 1950s-1960s
4. Unending Controversy: The Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1961-1989
5. Revolution, War, and Terrorism: The Middle East at Center Stage, 1970s-1980s
6. Peace Process: The U.S. Approach to the Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1990-2009
7. Escalating Conflicts: The Gulf War, the Menace of Terrorism, and the Invasion of Afghanistan, 1990-2006
8. War of Choice or War of Necessity? The Invasion and Occupation of Iraq, 2001-2009
9. The Retreat from Peace: Israel, Palestine, and the Arab World since 2009
10. Mirage: The Pursuit of Middle East Security in the Early 2000s
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Note on the Second Edition
Acknowledgments
Introduction
List of Abbreviations
1. National Security: The Genesis of U.S. Involvement in the Middle East
2. Into the Middle of a Fight: The United States and the Arab-Israeli Conflict to 1961
3. Tumultuous Decades: Nationalism and Counterrevolution, 1950s-1960s
4. Unending Controversy: The Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1961-1989
5. Revolution, War, and Terrorism: The Middle East at Center Stage, 1970s-1980s
6. Peace Process: The U.S. Approach to the Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1990-2009
7. Escalating Conflicts: The Gulf War, the Menace of Terrorism, and the Invasion of Afghanistan, 1990-2006
8. War of Choice or War of Necessity? The Invasion and Occupation of Iraq, 2001-2009
9. The Retreat from Peace: Israel, Palestine, and the Arab World since 2009
10. Mirage: The Pursuit of Middle East Security in the Early 2000s
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index