ABSTRACT
The chapter reviews incisively the history of the Persian Gulf and role of the United States therein as a point of departure for the in-depth examinations of Americans policies toward that region. It reviews the trends of continuity and change that have characterized unfolding events in the Greater Middle East—and the behaviour of individuals, states and empires driving those events—prior to the onset of the Cold War. The chapter summarizes the history of inter- and intra-state relations in the Persian Gulf during the Cold War and US policymaking toward the region since the end of the Cold War. It explains the history of the Gulf and reviews American diplomatic, economic and military policies toward that region prior to the onset of the Cold War in the aftermath of World War II. The chapter assesses the most significant similarities and differences in US diplomatic, economic and security policies toward the Gulf over the course of American history.
