This book, first published in 1991, examines in detail superpower-client relations in the Middle East. The Middle East, with its protracted and seemingly insoluble conflict and complex patterns of loyalty and hostility, is the ideal setting for the study of such relationships.

Part 1. In Search of a Theoretical Framework 1. Superpowers and Client States: Analysing Relations and Patterns of Influence Jacob Bercovitch 2. Superpowers and Client States: Perceptions and Interactions Philip Windsor Part 2. The Case of US-Israel Relations 3. Israel in US Perspective: Political Design and Pragmatic Practices Bernard Reich 4. American-Israeli Relations: An Israeli Assessment and Perspective Gabriel Sheffer 5. The USA and the Israeli Military-Economic Dimension: a Real Politik Perspective Moshe Efrat Part 3. The Case of Soviet-Syrian Relations 6. The Soviet Union and Syria: a Case Study of Soviet Policy Robert O. Freedman 7. The USSR in Syrian Perspective: Political Design and Pragmatic Practices David Roberts 8. The Soviet Union and the Syrian Military-Economic Dimension: a Real Politik Perspective Moshe Efrat Part 4. Conclusion 9. Conclusion Moshe Efrat