only in their original (non-English) language. These latter documents have been
retrieved from the most reliable secondary sources accessible. In contrast to some recent
publications, The Contemporary Middle Eastcites the sources of the documents repro-
duced. For ease of access, many of these sources include a Web site address where a
copy of the full document can be found. Although the Internet has made many doc-
uments accessible, reliable sources can sometimes be difficult to locate. Thus, before
selecting a particular document for this volume, it was sometimes necessary to com-
pare various versions before settling on the most reliable and accurate of them.
Few contemporary or historical subjects are as fraught with controversy as the
Middle East. Because the lands of the Middle East hold great historical, religious, and
economic importance for so many people, almost everything that happens in the region
arouses passions; these are amplified by the tendency to view events there through
decidedly partisan lenses. Without a doubt, much of the conflict in the Middle East
results from and persists because of the refusal of participants and their supporters even
to consider the possible validity of views different from their own. History demon-
strates the difficulty of debating with, much less settling differences with, someone
who believes his or her views to be ordained by God. People willing to consider alter-
native viewpoints almost never rise to power, and in the Middle East those with open
minds often pay for such a perspective with their lives. This book does not espouse
any particular point of view. Even so, some readers undoubtedly will believe that they
detect biases of one kind or another.
Many people helped make this book possible. CQ Press acquisition editors Mary
Carpenter and Marc Segers along with Andrea Pedolsky, chief of acquisitions, con-
ceived it and had the persistence to push it through to its end. Also at CQ Press, assis-
tant development editors Andrew Boney and Scott Kuzner contributed invaluable assis-
tance as researchers, Robin Surratt copyedited the volume, and Nancy Matuszak
oversaw production. Two editorial assistants, Sarah Abdelnaby and Zina Sadek Sawaf,
helped track down documents, often at the risk of being inundated by dust in libraries.
Archivists, librarians, scholars, and fellow journalists helped me find what I needed,
always cheerfully and in the spirit of making knowledge more widely accessible. Among
them are Gail Fithian at the Boston Public Library; Michal Saft at the Israeli State
Archives in Jerusalem; Hana Pinshow at the David Ben-Gurion Archives in Sde Boker,
Israel; Christopher M. Murphy at the Library of Congress; Ömer Faruk Gençkaya,
assistant professor of political science at Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey; Kemal
Gozler, associate professor of constitutional law at Kroc University Law School in
Istanbul; and Ian S. Lustick, professor of political science at the University of Penn-
sylvania in Philadelphia. Also, I wish to thank Anne Garrels, Mike Shuster, and Ivan
Watson, three of my former colleagues at National Public Radio whose assistance and
insights into contemporary events they cover each day proved invaluable.
Finally, I want to thank my wife, Marty Gottron, who endured many days of my
being focused on 1919 or 1937 rather than the daily tasks of contemporary life. Marty
also happens to be the best editor I know, and her comments greatly improved the
initial drafts.
Any errors of fact, interpretation, or omissions are mine.
xiv PREFACE