The year 1958 was a dramatic turning point in the history of the Middle East and the Arab World: Lebanon was in turmoil; Iraq underwent revolution. The West-backed King Faisal of Iraq and Crown Prince Abdallah were deposed and killed by a military coup led by Abd al-Karim Qasim and the new republic was proclaimed on the 14th July. Led by Gamal Abdel Nasser, the Arab world seemed to be splitting from the West and, some claimed, realigning itself with the communist world. Here is a seminal work by world-class scholars - required reading for anyone with a serious interest in the recent history of the region.