Understanding the Middle East

I remember taking a political science class back in college, the middle 1980’s, and hearing someone ask the professor to explain the political relationship between the US and Israel and Egypt and Iran.  The answer the professor gave wove a web much like the graphic in this article by Max Fisher in the Washington PostClick here to take a look and read the article.  Middle East relationships are complex and it is important for Westerners, specifically Americans, to have a working knowledge of those relationships if we are to hold our government accountable for whom they dance with on our behalf and how the government defines “American interests” abroad.