 |
 |
—Voices from the Sensible Center— Interpreting the Middle
East for North Americans— Special Reports 2 U.S. Takes It On the Chin—It's now beginning to look as though Begin's quick accommodation to Reagan's telephone "demand" last August 12 to stop bombing Beirut was just a fluke. Ever since, Israel has either been saying "no" or dragging its feet almost interminably. 4 Syria: In From the Cold?—Traditionally regarded as a maverick, Syria has recently been moving closer to the mainstream of the Arab world. This has raised some expectations in Washington that a deal for the simultaneous withdrawal of Israeli and Syrian troops from Lebanon—if Israel is willing—could be in the cards. Many observers are much more skeptical that either side wants it. 4 A Delicate U.S. Mission—With the Lebanon crisis still stirring up some anti-American passions, two U.S. trade missions are hoping to slip quietly into Saudi Arabia and Algeria to promote the sale of some U.S. goods and services. 5 Lobby Activities—An outcome of the recent Beirut tragedies has been a great solidarity among Arab-American organizations, which are concentrating on reducing U.S. financial and military support to Israel. American Jewish groups, on the other hand, are increasingly at odds with the policies of the Begin government. Regular Features 2 Editorial—Sharon provided many of the answers to questions about the Beirut massacre even before the establishment of Israel's board of inquiry. But there are still some major questions outstanding: and the answers to them will be tragic whether they come out "yes" or "no." 6 Facts For Your Files—Chronology of U.S.-Middle East Relations 7 Book Review—The House of Saud is a useful and fascinating account of the activities, personalities and policies of Saudi Arabia's royal family, but suffers from some unevenness because it is the work of three different writers. 8 Personality—It can come as a surprise to many that Professor Hisham Sharabi, who is one of the U.S.'s most visible and articulate spokesmen for the rights of Arab-Americans and of Palestinians, and is also a prolific author of books on the Arab world, does it only as an avocation. His real academic specialty has nothing at all to do with the Middle East.
|