National security affairs analyst Ehud Eilam examines the strategy of containment in the Middle East as it is currently pursued. For the United States, containment is a way to avoid war with Iran and thwart its nuclear weapons program. For Israel it has been a way to prevent a confrontation with the Palestinians in both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. In other cases containment is meant to weaken a foe without starting a war, as Israel did by bombing shipments of weapons to Hezbollah. Containment was also part of the war in Syria—because the West lacked the ability to overthrow Bashar al-Assad, though it cost the civilian population there dearly. Egypt has been trying to contain both its enormous economic hardships and ISIS, primarily in the Sinai Peninsula. Ultimately Eilam provides important and timely insights into the Middle East’s perennially fluid and volatile political environment. His insights and analyses will be of interest not least in the corridors of power both here and abroad.

This volume of mathematical tables has been prepared under the aegis of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics, which is a professional society for mathematically-oriented statisticians. The purpose of the Institute is to encourage the development, dissemination, and application of mathematical statistics. The Committee on Mathematical Tables of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics is responsible for preparing and editing this series of tables. The tables included in the present volume were checked at the University of Victoria. Dr. R. F. Odeh arranged for, and directed this checking with the assistance of Mr. Bruce Wilson.