Ch. 1. What are the primary concerns about the Middle East? America's reliance on oil funnels money and power to the Middle East / Gal Luft -- Palestinian reluctance to accept the Jewish state makes peace impossible / David Frum -- The lack of an independent Palestinian state makes peace impossible / Mustafa Barghouthi -- Ethnic tensions in Iraq make long-term stability in the region unlikely / Ted Galen Carpenter -- Iran is making progress on the acquisition of nuclear weapons / James Phillips -- Yemen is a breeding ground for terrorists and a threat to national security / Christopher Boucek -- Ch. 2. How can the Israeli-Palestinian conflict be resolved? Overview : resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict / Jim Zanotti -- A two-state solution is possible for Israelis and Palestinians / John V. Whitbeck -- Support for a one-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians is increasing / Danny Rubinstein -- A parallel state structure is the solution for Israelis and Palestinians / Mathias Mossberg and Mark LeVine -- Hamas must be a part of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process / Efraim Halevy -- Hamas has proven incapable of joining the Israeli-Palestinian peace process / Michael Herzog -- Ch. 3. Have US military actions in the Middle East been effective? Overview : the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan / Barack Obama -- US policy in the Middle East has yielded good results / George W. Bush -- US military presence in Iraq has been effective and is still needed / Kenneth M. Pollack -- US military presence in the Middle East is unnecessary and counterproductive / Bradley L. Bowman -- The Iraq war was unsuccessful and a mistake / Malou Innocent -- Ch. 4. Should the United States be involved with problems in the Middle East? Overview : US foreign aid in the Middle East / Jeremy M. Sharp -- The United States should promote democracy in the Middle East / Shadi Hamid and Steven Brooke -- The United States should take military action in Iran / Daniel Pipes -- The United States should disengage from the Middle East / Leon Hadar and Christopher Preble -- The United States can no longer afford military aid to Israel / Josh Ruebner -- The United States should not pursue military strikes or regime change in Iran / Christopher Hemmer.