Introduction - The Middle East before Muhammad - The prophet of Mecca - What is Islam? - The early Arab conquests - The High Caliphate - Shiites and Turks, Crusaders and Mongols - Islamic civilization - Firearms, slaves, and empires - European interests and imperialism - Westernizing reform in the nineteenth century - The rise of nationalism - The roots of Arab bitterness - Modernizing rulers in the independent states - Egypt and the fertile crescent under European control - The contest for Palestine - Israel's rebirth and the rise of Arab nationalism - War and the quest for peace - The reassertion of Islamic power - The Gulf War and the peace process - The war on terrorism - Chronology - Glossary - Appendix table 1: Basic statistics for Middle Eastern countries - Appendix table 2: How many Palestinians?