This slim volume examines a relationship that is pivotal for the stability of the Gulf and the wider Arab world and has major implications for Lebanon, Iraq, the Arab-Israeli conflict and the position of the US in the region. It was compiled by a team of RAND researchers who conducted a very considerable survey of secondary and newspaper literature and undertook a wide range of interviews in the Arab Gulf, although not in Iran. It is reasonable and balanced and provides a lot of valuable empirical information organized in a coherent framework, similar to the conflict resolution oriented work of the International Crisis Group.