The mystery of Zion -- The quest for planet Vulcan -- A knock at the door -- George Washington and the Jews -- The "end of history" and the American mind -- Maelstrom -- Great decisions -- Blackstone and Lodge -- American Cyrus -- Cyrus and Britain -- Cyrus and Stalin -- Cyrus agonistes -- The cold peace -- Alignment -- The great miscalculation -- The great MacGuffin and the quest for the Holy Grail -- Right nation -- Apocalypse now : Israel policy under George W. Bush -- Israel and the exceptional American left -- Cool hands, hot world -- American crisis and the fate of the Jewish people.