Amazon.com description: Product Description: With nearly 600 new entries and 1,000 updates, the second edition of this authoritative resource reflects the far-reaching changes the Middle East has undergone in recent years, making the work more relevant and more necessary than ever before. The set covers the modern history of the Middle East and North Africa, with major sections on Colonialism and Imperialism, the World Wars, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the United Nations involvement in the region. Each country in the region is reviewed, detailing its population, economy and government. With 3,000 nonpartisan articles written by specialists in anthropology, history, political science, religion and social sciences, this four-volume set is an indispensable tool.