MAP 31.4 U.S. Involvement in the Middle East, 1979–2010
The United States has long played an active role in the Middle East, driven by the strategic importance of that region and, most important, by America’s need to ensure a reliable supply of oil from the Persian Gulf states. This map shows the highlights of that troubled involvement, from the Tehran embassy hostage taking in 1979 to the invasion and current occupation of both Iraq and Afghanistan.