ABSTRACT
The Middle East has long held an important place in world affairs, as reflected in the attention given to the region in the Western press, both scholarly and journalistic. However, both have tended to view the area through the prism of great power politics. This chapter examines regional dynamics in the Middle East from a historical perspective in order to focus on historical patterns of regional interaction rather than on regional problems or issues in international relations. Our purpose is to outline successive stages of development in the regional dynamics of Middle East politics over the millennium and identify patterns of continuity and change.
