ABSTRACT
Although at times seemingly dormant the situation in the Red Sea and the Gulf could be compared to a volcano which erupts occasionally with varied degrees of violence. In the past, the tensions and conflicts of the region were considered of local importance and easily contained by the Great Powers. Nowadays, however, the ability of the Great Powers to control these conflicts has greatly diminished: they cannot only get out of hand, but have far reaching international repercussions as is shown by the new round of ArabIsraeli conflict in the last months of 1973.
