ArrayJB Kelly provides an excellent overview of Middle East relations with the United States during the 1960 s and 1970 s. Although written before the fall of the Shah it still is a valuable contribution to the scholarship of the Middle East. It is one of the few books that really provides a close look at how the Arabian peninsula developed with Saudi Arabia and the smaller territories. This followed the British withdraw from the peninsula with most notably the transformation of Aden. For those who are studying the Middle East this is a great starting point to have a historical handle on how the problems developed pre 1979. Kelly is one of the foremost political experts in the area and the fact that this was primarily a British zone of influence for most of this time makes his view as a brit all the more valuable. Overall an excellent addition to the scholarship and still worth a look even today. While this book appears dated (1980) the substance of this text revolves around the historical events, places, and personalities which have brought "Arabia" to where it is today, focusing on the crucial historical times of each region, the 1880s, the 1920s, the British departure of 1968-1971. This book remains relevant, and continues to serve as a useful reference to understanding this region.

Awkwardly, Kelly assumes a fair bit of knowledge on the reader s part. The Trucial Coast is introduced and subsequently explored at length as if the reader is fully aware of where it is, how it came about, and of what it consists. Wahhabism, on the other hand, is well explained and would help even a beginner of Middle East studies gain a fair insight into its origin, and relevance. Overall, Kelly too frequently begins a train of thought independent of the background necessary to fully enjoy the generous and elaborate detail into which he delves.

By far, Kelly s most glaring shortfall in this book is the over reliance of verbal descriptions of the geography versus a few good maps. A dominant, if not THE dominant, theme in Kelly s work is the ebb and flow of the people, and their religion, across the land. So much of "The West" (in particular, Britain s) involvement with Arabia over the last two centuries has revolved around the definition and security arraignments of these borders, manifest in the modern era in the form of conflicts related to oil concession rights, and leading to wars in recent history. To this day, many significant borders remain undefined. Yet, his text contains only 5 maps, which together do not nearly cover the breadth of his discussion, and not one of which fully encompasses the theater of its accompanying discussion.

J. B. Kelly s work is fulfilling and exhaustive, but the lack of maps is significantly detrimental. Readers seeking to gain a better understanding of this important region of the world would be well served by J.B. Kelly s Arabia, The Gulf & The West, but should have an atlas or online geography reference to accompany it.

This is becoming out of date (1980), yet it s still the best book I ve seen on the modern political history of the Arabian Peninsula. The 500-plus pages cover such topics as the British departure from Aden (Yemen) and the Trucial Coast (now UAE), Oman s civil war in Dhufar, Saudi-UAE border disputes, OPEC in the 70s, and an overview of the current political situation in the various countries. Iran and Iraq also receive substantial coverage, but the greatest emphasis is on Saudi Arabia and the minor Gulf states. There are five maps. Although much has happened since the book was written -- namely the Gulf War -- this remains the classic introduction to the region s politics for the serious reader.