The clash of great powers to control the Middle East, particularly between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R., neither began after World War II nor ended with the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991. Today, China, the U.S., Russia and Middle Eastern regional powers vie to influence everyday politics and resources. Treasured by foreigners, the region will remain coveted for centuries to come. The three major elements that have shaped Middle Eastern history for thousands of years will not disappear: its geographic location at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea, linking north and south and east and west; its historical place as the cradle to the three major monotheistic religions, where it has radiated an insatiable thirst by worldwide followers to assert presence and control; and the availability of the world’s largest known oil and gas reserves.
The clash of great powers to control the Middle East, particularly between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R., neither began after World War II nor ended with the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991. Today, China, the U.S., Russia and Middle Eastern regional powers vie to influence everyday politics and resources.
CIE has compiled the following list of books, articles and videos, including some available on our website, to guide understanding of the great world powers and their involvement in the Middle East. Books Alterman, Eric,…
April 25, 1920 In April 1920, the San Remo Conference in Italy determined the boundaries of the territories captured by the allies during World War I. These included boundaries for the political existence of Syria,…
Born in Hungary, Herzl is viewed as the father of modern political Zionism. A journalist, novelist and playwright, he embraced Zionism after reporting on Alfred Dreyfus’ trial in France. His pamphlet “Der Judenstaat” (“The Jewish…
“History of Modern Israel” Kenneth W. Stein, Freshman Seminar, Emory University, Spring 2006 This undergraduate freshman seminar reviews the history of modern Israel from the inception of Zionism to the post-1967-war period. The four periods…
“The Palestine Mandate: 1920-1948” Kenneth W. Stein, Introductory, Upper-Level Seminar, Emory University, Spring 2007 This junior/senior colloquium reviews the 30-year history before the creation of Israel in 1948. We try to answer the question “Why…
“American Foreign Policy Towards the Arab-Israeli Conflict and Its Regional Context” Kenneth W. Stein, Junior/Senior Colloquium, Undergraduate or Graduate, Emory University, Spring 2014 This class focuses on American foreign policy in the Middle East over…
“History of Israeli Foreign Policy” Ziv Rubinovitz, Undergraduate, Emory University, Spring 2015 This course analyzes Israel’s foreign relations and examines the tension between Israel’s geographic location in the Middle East and its Western orientation. The…
President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu explain their expansive vision for a peaceful Middle East through the implementation of a 20-point U.S. plan to end the Gaza war with the support of many Arab and Muslim countries.
A comprehensive U.S. plan to end the Hamas-Israel war is unveiled eight days before the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.
Divine, Donna Robinson, Politics and Society in Ottoman Palestine: The Arab Struggle for Survival and Power, Lynne Reinner Publishers, Boulder, 1994, pp. 191-215 (with author’s permission, September 2025) This is a rigorous analysis of the struggles of…
September 28, 1995 After signing the Declaration of Principles (DOP) on Interim Self-Government Arrangements, commonly known as the Oslo Accords, on September 13, 1993, Israel and the PLO reached three additional interim agreements before Oslo…
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Israel was primarily prompted by American criticism of Israel’s airstrike on September 9, targeting Hamas leaders in Doha, the Qatari capital. Rubio arrived in Doha at the end of an emergency Arab-Islamic leaders summit that roundly condemned Israel’s attack. In Doha, he affirmed US interests in Qatar, with particular knowledge that it hosts America’s largest air base in the Middle East and the forward headquarters for the US Central Command. The US was seeking to balance its relationship with Israel and Qatar.
May 28, 2025 “U.S. Foreign Aid to Israel: Overview and Developments since October 7, 2023,” by Jeremy M. Sharp, specialist in Middle East affairs, Congressional Research Service Israel is the largest cumulative recipient of U.S….
President Trump announces precision U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s key nuclear sites, citing Iran’s four-decade-long hatred of the U.S. and killing of Americans and others. He thanks the U.S. military, the Israeli military and Prime Minister Netanyahu, warning Iran to pursue peace because more targets remain.
May 2025 CIE has compiled the following list of books and articles to guide understanding of the modern Middle East. For a supplement to this bibliography, click on CIE’s Annotated Bibliography of Basic Books on…
Ken Stein, President, Center for Israel Education, May 19, 2025 Introduction Since 1937, the idea of geopolitically separating Jewish and Arab populations west of the Jordan River has been a recommended solution to mitigate violence between…
Visiting Qatar after Saudi Arabia and before the United Arab Emirates in a Middle East trip that excluded Israel, President Donald Trump praises and pledges to defend Qatar and indicates a deal on Iran’s nuclear program is close.
May 13, 2025 President Donald Trump’s address laying out a vision for Middle East peace and prosperity and ending sanctions on Syria at the 2025 Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, https://www.youtube.com/live/wj1QOz3iuCE?si=qQRR2GcqZhtt1F5o Well, thank…
April 7, 2025 Source: Press conference during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the White House and President Donald Trump, as broadcast by C-SPAN, April 7, 2025. U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan for new tariffs…
Abdullah II remains studiously noncommittal in support of Donald Trump’s idea for the U.S. to take over the Gaza Strip, rebuild it and relocate its Palestinian residents to other countries. With Jordan’s strong economic, strategic and defense ties to Washington, no one expected the king to be effusive for Trump’s suggestions for Gaza’s future. Jordan lacks the economic and demographic absorptive capacities and the political interest to take another wave of Palestinians into its territory.
February 4, 2025 Trump Unveils Plan for U.S. Takeover of Gaza In President Donald Trump’s first meeting at the White House with a foreign leader in his second term, he welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin…
By Aidan New and Michael Jacobs (updated April 9) President Donald Trump’s second administration had an impact in the Middle East even before his inauguration Jan. 20, 2025: Special Middle East envoy Steven Witkoff was…
January 9, 2025 Dan Senor, co-author of The Genius of Israel and Start-Up Nation, brought Center for Israel Education President Ken Stein on his Call Me Back podcast on Jan. 9 just hours after the…
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