"Events in the fall of 1973 made the American people suddenly aware of the importance of the Arab World to their well-being. The October War led to a brief but intense crisis with the Soviet Union, highlighted by a worldwide alert of American military forces, and a longer and more agonizing energy crunch created by the five-month oil embargo imposed by the Arab producers. People who had viewed the Middle East as a remote corner of the globe now realized how important this volatile area could be to American security and prosperity."--Foreword (p. v).