ABSTRACT
When Nasser died in 1970 the politics of the Middle East (excluding Iran) were dominated by a bipolar pattern: Israel-United States versus Egypt-USSR. Within a few years they looked very different. The Russian alliance with Egypt was broken. The United States, while not abandoning Israel, was increasingly embarrassed in its role of protector, which was barely compatible with the role of peace-maker which it also cherished. The Palestinians acquired a new strength, only to see it gravely jeopardized. The Arab oil exporters gave a startling demonstration of the efficiency of economic sanctions. The Lebanese state was all but destroyed.
