The Epicenter of Crisis: The New Middle East »

Alexander T. J. Lennon is editor in chief of The Washington Quarterly, the journal of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He is the editor of The Epicenter of Crisis: The New Middle East (MIT Press, 2008) and other Washington Quarterly Readers.

Analysis of the security challenges presented by six states in the crucible of post-9/11 geopolitical change: Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

Introduction: The Epicenter of Crisis   Alexander T.J. Lennon     vii
Saudi Arabia
Rethinking Religion: The Legacy of the U.S.-Saudi Relationship   Rachel Bronson     3
Al Qaeda and the House of Saud: Eternal Enemies or Secret Bedfellows?   John R. Bradley     22
The Irony of Islah (Reform)   Gwenn Okruhlik     38
Syria
Bashar Al-Assad: In or Out of the New World Order?   Eyal Zisser     61
U.S. Policy toward a Weak Assad   Dennis Ross     81
Confronting Syrian-Backed Terrorism   Daniel Byman     95
Hizballah and Syria: Outgrowing the Proxy Relationship   Emile El-Hokayem     112
Iraq
The Critical Battles: Political Reconciliation and Reconstruction in Iraq   Carlos Pascual   Kenneth M. Pollack     135
Is the Media Being Fair in Iraq?   Michael O'Hanlon   Nina Kamp     150
After Zarqawi: The Dilemmas and Future of Al Qaeda in Iraq   Brian Fishman     165
Iran
A Win-Win U.S. Strategy for Dealing with Iran   Michael McFaul   Abbas Milani   Larry Diamond     185
The Hizballah-Iran Connection: Model for Sunni Resistance   Graham E. Fuller     207
Understanding Iran's New Authoritarianism   Elliot Hen-Tov     221
How Relevant Is the Iranian Street?   Karim Sadjadpour     241
Afghanistan
Poppies for Peace: Reforming Afghanistan's Opium Industry   Peter van Ham   Jorritt Kamminga     257
Afghanistan: When Counternarcotics Undermines Counterterrorism   Vanda Felbab-Brown     273
Pakistan
When {dollar}10 Billion Is Not Enough: Rethinking U.S. Strategy toward Pakistan   Craig Cohen   Derek Chollet     297
U.S. Strategy: Assisting Pakistan's Transformation   Ashley J. Tellis     313
What If Pakistan Fails? India Isn't Worried ... Yet   C. Raja Mohan     336
The Role of Islam in Pakistan's Future   Husain Haqqani     350