Elizabeth F. Thompson, associate professor of history at the University of Virginia, was a Jennings Randolph fellow at USIP in 2007–08. This report, drawn from her forthcoming book, Seeking Justice in the Middle East, builds bridges between two worlds that have remained separate in recent years: academic history of the Middle East and foreign policymaking in the region. The author thanks USIP for its support, Meagan Bridges for her research assistance, and commentators on previous drafts: Nathan Brown, David Edelstein, Melvyn Leffler, Jeff Legro, William Quandt, Abdul-Karim Rafeq, Barbara Slavin, Bob Vitalis, David Waldner, and audiences at the History Department at Catholic University of America, the Institute for Middle East Studies at George Washington University, the Women’s Foreign Policy Group, and the Woodrow Wilson Center, all in Washington, D.C.