In short vignettes, this book describes how American diplomats working in the Middle East dealt with a variety of challenges over the last decades of the 20th century. The stories include: the Palestinian siege of the U.S. embassy in Damascus; the bombing of the embassy in Jidda; the delicate relationships in Syria with the president's brother and with the Jewish community; working with the Yemeni president on threats from the Marxist regime in Aden;...