The US and Middle East have seen strong development in economic relations in the past couple of years with booming trade and the implementation of a number of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). Going forward, it is likely that commercial relations will remain strong although further FTAs are perhaps unlikely in the medium term. In the United States the political battlefield for the November elections have been partially clarified in the past month. The Republican candidate will be Senator John McCain, while the Democratic side is still being contested by Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. During the election debates and campaigning, discussion on the Middle East has been almost entirely focused on Iraq. This is not unusual given the US military involvement in Iraq, but more surprising is the lack of discussion on other issues pertaining to the Middle East, particularly in regards to Israel/Palestine. Although not during an electoral
