Middle East in Transition: Costly Muddle

The Middle East is often depicted as being in constant transition, but rarely has it seemed as directionless as now. The key issues remain in place, above all the long-standing conflicts, but recent events have distracted attention from resolving core problems towards peripheral, if subsidiary and inter-related, concerns. As the knots tighten and the tangles thicken, it is premature to assess who, if anyone, will prosper.