This history charts the post-World War I efforts by the Allies to deal with the fall of the Ottoman Empire, and how decisions made then influenced the region's history and geopolitics for the rest of the century (and beyond). These efforts included creating new states and entities, including what was to become Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and, later, Israel. Fromkin deals with the many conflicting claims in the region, and confronts the real problem of how the countries in the Middle East can can come to terms with their historical legacy.