Ch. 1. Introduction -- ch. 2. The setting, 1946-1973 -- ch. 3. The October War and its aftermath -- ch. 4. Iran, Afghanistan, and the evolution of the Carter doctrine -- ch. 5. The rapid deployment force : planning, strategy, operational requirements -- ch. 6. U.S. power in the Gulf : military strategy and regional politics -- ch. 7. The Western alliance and Middle East policy : attempts at cooperation -- ch. 8. The out-of-area problem for NATO -- ch. 9. The dilemmas of Persian Gulf security.