The Soviet Union and the PLO provides a comprehensive account of Soviet-PLO relations from the formation of the PLO in 1964 to the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 199. By analysing in detail the complex and often turbulent evolution of the Soviet-PLO relationship, the book also provides critical insights into Soviet policy making towards the Arab-Israeli conflict and the various strategies Moscow adopted to attain its strategic and ideological interests in the region.

For more than three decades, the Soviet Union was a major force in the Middle East, and superpower rivalry exacerbated many of the conflicts endemic to the region. The end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union have fundamentally altered the rules of the game in Middle East politics, producing a new fluidity in the region, new diplomatic alignments, and new opportunities for peace. The contributors place recent developments in historical and political context, analyzing changes in Soviet Middle East policy under Gorbachev as well as evaluating developments since the demise of the Soviet Union. The evolution of Moscow's policy toward the Arab states, Israel, the P.L.O., and the U.N. is given special attention. The contributors also examine the emergence of Islamic fundamentalism in the new states of Central Asia and weigh the potential implications of this development for the Middle East. In addition, they discuss security issues related to the transfer of military technology from former Soviet republics to the countries of the Middle East.

David Meir-Levi's ''brief encounter'' offers a solid approach to understanding the basics of the Arab-Israeli conflict, arguably the world's most persistent and polarized political issue. History Upside Down applies great common sense where demagogues and ignorami too often dominate. DANIEL PIPES director of the Middle East Forum and author of Militant Islam Reaches America In order for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to be resolved, the demonology will have to be taken out of it, and the historical and political facts allowed to speak for themselves dispassionately. David Meir-Levi shows how this can be done.

In Mythologies Without End, Jerome Slater takes stock of the conflict over time and argues that US policies in the region are largely a product of mythologies that are often flatly wrong. Because of their widespread acceptance, there have been devastating consequences to the true interests of both countries. He argues that a critical examination and refutation of the many mythologies is a necessary first step toward solving the Arab-Israeliconflict.

The Global Offensive shows how Palestinian liberation fighters - inspired and supported by other revolutionary groups in the Third World - waged a military and diplomatic campaign between 1967 and 1975 that seized the world's attention. Meanwhile, the United States and its allies in the region struggled to contain this revolutionary new force in the Middle East.