ABSTRACT
Since the fall of the shah of Iran in January 1979, the United States has struggled to find a new set of relationships in the Gulf and Middle East. It has sought to reestablish a reasonable degree of strategic stability, to protect its allies in the area, and to safeguard the West's supplies of imported oil. In practice, this search has proved to be dependent on four elements: U.S. ability to strengthen Saudi Arabia as a nation capable of defending itself against most regional threats and of guarding the other conservative Gulf states; U.S. ability to strengthen Egypt both militarily and economically; U.S. ability to find some solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict that will both meet Arab needs and offer Israel security; and U.S. ability to improve its power projection capabilities in the Gulf.
