This text asks students to analyze the mix of interests and values that have drawn the U.S. into the Middle East. High school students are to consider the principles and assumptions driving the expanded presence of the U.S. into the Middle East. Part 1 surveys the history of U.S. involvement in the Middle East up to the Persian Gulf War. Part 2 examines how the U.S. policy agenda in the region has changed in the wake of the Persian Gulf War. Four options are delineated for U.S. foreign policy for the Middle East. Students then apply their own recommendations for U.S. policy to three hypothetical regional crises. A list of suggested readings is included. The teaching unit contains a day-by-day lesson plan and student activities. The unit opens with a study of U.S. policy during the final weeks of the Shah's rule over Iran. The second day of the lesson plan calls on students to assume the roles of key Middle Eastern leaders in evaluating the U.S. impact on the Middle East. The third and fourth days engage students in a role play in which they act as advocates for any of four options for U.S. foreign policy for the Middle East. In the final day's lesson, students are asked to apply their own recommendations for U.S. policy to three hypothetical regional crises. Readings and study guides are included in this 5-day unit. (EH)