Before he was Prime Minister of Russia, Primakov headed the country's foreign intelligence service, then served as Foreign Minister. He does aspire here either to a chronological history of the Middle East or to a comprehensive treatment of events in the region. Rather he examines the bases processes that emerged in the Arab world after the end of colonialism, and describes individual episodes in history that he observed, and in many of which was able to participate. They include national interest taking precedence over Arab unity, the lost cause of communism, the beginning and end of the Six-Day War, Lebanon in the eye of a storm, the Arafat phenomenon, the phenomenon that was Saddam Hussein, the saga of the Kurds, and a nuclear shadow over the Arab-Israeli conflict. Originally published as Konfidentsial'no by Rossiyskaya Gazeta in 2006. Gould became a journalist when he lived in Russian, and how works at the Financial Times back home in London. Annotation c2010 Book News, Inc. , Portland, OR (booknews. com)