逐渐离任的一代领导人 — — 即阿拉法特、侯赛因国王或哈菲兹·阿萨德、法德国王和穆巴拉克总统一代 — — 出生于1935年以前，从20世纪70年代以来就决定着中东的事务。
The outgoing leadership generation – that of Arafat, King Hussein or Hafiz al-Assad, King Fahd and President Mubarak – was born before 1935 and has determined events in the Middle East since the 1970’s.