This is book is written by John M. Roberts, not John C. de V. Roberts. Visions & Mirages describes the state of the Middle East in the late 20th century in terms of the specific issues and challenges which it faces. These include boundary disputes, water, energy development, political Islam and democracy as well as such well-trodden suibjects as the Israel-Palestine dispute and the consequences of the Iraq War of 1991. It also includes chapters on the region's relations with the US, Europe and Japan.