The pioneers -- Into the wilderness -- Little America -- Arabs and attitudes -- Funny money -- The little screen -- Come fly with me -- A Ford in their past -- The American way -- Down on the farm -- Christians and Jews -- Go directly to jail -- The cultural divide -- From swords to missiles -- Desert storms -- After September 11.

"The relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia has always been a marriage of convenience, not affection. In a bargain cemented by President Roosevelt and Saudi Arabia's founding king in 1945, Americans gained access to Saudi oil, and the Saudis sent the dollars back with purchases of American planes, American weapons, American construction projects, and American know-how that brought them modernization, education, and security. The marriage has suited both sides. But how long can it last?"

"In Inside the Mirage, veteran Middle East journalist Thomas W. Lippman shows that behind the official proclamations of friendship and alliance lies a complex relationship that has often been strained by the mutual aversion of two very different societies. Today the U.S.-Saudi partnership faces its greatest challenge as younger Saudis, less enamored of America, rise to prominence and Americans, scorched by Saudi-based terrorism, question the value of their ties to the desert kingdom."--BOOK JACKET.

Includes bibliographical references and index.