Kreutz examines the goals and strategies of Russia and the former Soviet Union toward most of the Arab states in the Middle East. The author argues that Russia has been an important actor in the region for over a century and has tried to regain its influence in several countries following its strategic retreat after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. However, according to Kreutz, Moscow does not seek confrontation with the United States or with the West in general in the region. Rather, the Russians are interested in peace and stability in the region, which is close to its borders. Because of that, although Moscow wants to cultivate its links with Israel, it also seeks to reach a peaceful and balanced solution to the Palestinian-Israel and the Arab-Israeli conflicts, taking Palestinian and Arab interests into account. Washington can better engage Moscow as a stabilizing force in the Middle East and as a collaborator in the struggle against Islamic terrorists. At the same time, the United States must be cognizant of where Washington and Moscow diverge. Although Russia may be too weak now to compete with the United States on a global scale, it is not happy to see American or EU encroachment close to its own neighborhood. If we take their weakness for granted and become blind to the possibilities for Russian alliances in the region, we do so to our disadvantage. This book demonstrates Russia's enduring interest and influence in the Arab Middle East.

The Vatican's foreign relations, particularly their Middle Eastern aspects, are generally little known. This book attempts to clear up the misunderstandings and misconceptions in regard to the Vatican's Middle Eastern relations. For more than a thousand years, the Holy See has been inextricably involved in the Middle East; indeed, the very roots of the Roman Catholic Church originate there. Yet despite the religious overtones of the Holy Land issue, Kreutz argues that the Vatican's Middle Eastern policy is much more than an expression of its religious and secular ideology, it is a reflection of the social, political, and economic climate. The study begins with background on the Roman Catholic Church and its links to the Third World, especially the Middle East. The balance of the book provides a chronological historical analysis of the Vatican's involvement in the Palestinian problem beginning around 1900 through 1988. Kreutz examines its relations in regard to the beginning of Zionist settlement in Palestine, the Holocaust, the 1947-1948 partition plan and the creation of Israel and the Arab refugee problem. He focuses on the aftermath of the Arab-Israeli Six Day War in 1967 including the growth of the Palestinian national movement, and the present day attitude of the Vatican under Pope John Paul II.