The Autumn issue of The Middle East Journal features a look at a secret 1976 oil deal that contributed to an economic crisis in Iran, as well as an analysis of the parallels between the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and the British-led invasion during WWI. This issue of the Journal also examines the role of state institutions in molding Israeli collective memory, the changing contours of Turkey’s long war on drugs and the state of women’s reform in Saudi Arabia.

Andrew Scott Cooper’s “Showdown at Doha: The Secret Oil Deal That Helped Sink the Shah of Iran” combs through recently de-classified documents tracing a 1976 agreement between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia to lower oil prices. The behind the scenes look at the dealings helps explain Iran's 1977 economic crisis that undercut the Shah's power and eventually helped lead to the Iranian Revolution. (A podcast interview with the author is available at www.mideasti.org.)

Peter Sluglett’s “Imperial Myopia: Some Lessons from Two Invasions of Iraq” peers through the lens of 20/20 hindsight to confirm that history repeats itself. Sluglett weighs the 2003 U.S.-led invasion against the 1914-1918 British Mesopotamia Campaign in Iraq. He points out numerous similarities between the two, while noting that the British had a much greater understanding of Iraqi culture, language and religion than the Americans did. Philip Robins’ “Back from the Brink: Turkey’s Ambivalent Approaches to the Hard Drugs Issue” traces the emergence of illegal drugs onto Turkey’s socio-political agenda and critiques the measures used to combat the narcotics trade.”’Only For Women:’ Women, the State, and Reform in Saudi Arabia,” by Amélie Le Renard, discusses how the gender segregation of Saudi cities has led to the development of a separate sphere for women, wherein they have developed their own activities and discourses.

In “The Israeli National Information Center and Collective Memory of the Israeli-Arab Conflict,” Rafi Nets-Zehngut analyzes the Israeli National Information Center’s publications on Palestinian refugees and infiltrators and gauges their impact upon Israeli collective memory. The Book Review article by William B. Quandt examines three books that provide historical contexts and policy recommendations for theUS administration.

Since 1946, the Middle East Institute has been dedicated to increasing Americans’ knowledge and understanding of the region. For information/access to articles or to subscribe to the Middle East Journal, please contact

Managing Editor Adam Mendelson at 202-785-1141, ext. 205. For interviews with an MEJ author, please contact MEI Communications Department at 202-785-5336