The Gulf crisis: origins and consequences

What caused Iraq to occupy Kuwait? Why do sorne Arab leaders and certain sectors of Arab public opinion sympathize with Saddam? What is Saddam´s strategy? How wou Id he react to an American-Ied attack on his forces? What are the likely scenarios of war? What consequences¬human as weIl as political-would à war in the Gulf have for America, America´s Arab allies, and regional stability? How wou Id à Gulf war affect the Arab- Israeli conflict? Can war be averted? These and other vital questions are addressed in Walid Khalidi´s The Gulf Crisis: Origins and Consequences. The author points out dangers that only those who truly know the Gulf can spot and examines the ethical and strategie issues that the conflict has raised. He provides us with an overview of the crisis that combines à retrospective analysis with à somber warning about the catastrophic consequences for aIl concerned of an aIl-out military confrontation. Walid Khalidi is à leading authority on Middle Eastern history and the Arab- Israeli conflict. He is Research Fellow at Harvard´s Center for Middle Eastern Studies.