—Voices from the Sensible Center—

Interpreting the Middle East for North Americans—
Interpreting North America for the Middle East

Current Affairs

3 Israel: No Strategic Asset—Israel's evolution in American eyes from embattled refugee homeland to successful working democracy to strategic ally may be less a miracle of national development than of public relations. A retired U.S. ambassador examines the record of Israel as a "strategic asset" and the one incident—which he calls "a murky non-event"—Israelis cite as evidence.

5 Sudan: Problems for U.S.?—What does the U.S. do when an old friend like President Nimeiri of the Sudan persists in a course which ultimately could lead to his undoing? The first moves are up to Nimeiri, who has climbed back from some long limbs before. But if he doesn't this time, the next decision may be up to us.

6 U.S. & Iran Trade On—If you think the fact that the U.S. and Iran only communicate in expletives means we're no longer doing business with each other, think again. Or better yet, look at the figures on U.S. trade with Iran.

9 Lobby Activities—For Arab Americans, 1984 may well be remembered as a landmark year for their involvement in presidential campaign politics. For many Jewish American voters, a decisive issue in deciding between the two candidates was not Israel.

Regular Features

2 Editorial—Weld almost forgotten Humphrey, the guy who used to drop in to chat with our former editor, until a young fellow who looked a lot like him came by just before election day. Junior seemed almost as naive as his daddy, so Miz, our sassy intern, decided to explain a few things to him about the possible significance of a second-term presidency for the Mideast peace process.

7 Personality—How did Landrum Bolling, who speaks neither Arabic nor Hebrew, end up an authority on the Mideast whose insights are sought by concerned persons throughout the U.S.? A big part of the answer lies in his intense desire for world peace.

8 Facts For Your Files—A Chronology of U.S.-Middle East Relations.

10 Book Review—If the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. ever go to war, it very likely will be over the Middle East. Since the fate of the Palestinians is so crucial to peace there, John Richardson's book, The West Bank: A Portrait, is pertinent reading for anyone likely to die in a World War III—and that's just about everyone we happen to know.