ABSTRACT
It was always an unreasonable expectation that the personal diplomacy of Secretary of State Kissinger in Middle Eastern affairs would meet with uninterrupted success. American foreign policy is being framed today not only in a period of economic difficulty that warrants close attention to internal issues and at a time of political competition between an increasingly assertive Congress and a relatively weak President but also in a climate of declining enthusiasm for foreign undertakings, foreign aid programs or binding commitments. Both the US and the Soviet Union recognize the significance of the Middle East, not only in terms of its natural resources, but as the bridge between Europe and Africa, as a vital point in the security of the Mediterranean area and the southern flank of Europe and as an access to the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean. A brooding presence in the Middle East conflict has been the Soviet Union.
