ABSTRACT
The Middle East has been a meeting point and battleground for competing civilizations for thousands of years. The region is marked by the intersection of three continents-Europe, Asia, and Africa. The Middle East is nonetheless a promising opportunity for Western business. Since the seventh century CE, Islam has been the principal integrator among the peoples of the Middle East-a way of life, not just a religion. Islam is an Arabic word that means surrender or submission to Allah or God. Islam views different aspects of worldly life as interrelated parts that should be integrated into a person's spiritual life. Business is one of these interrelated parts. Islamic leadership is similar to Western leadership in resting on either personal power or positional authority. Peace is an elusive goal in the Middle East. For more than half a century, the central conflict was between Israel's right to exist and the need for a Palestinian Arab state.
