Retired foreign service officer Nes states that since the creation of Israel in 1947, the relationship between the United States and Israel has been a prosperous one. However, he notes, U.S.-Israel relations have created complex implications for dealing with Arab nations in the Middle East. In addition, he states that Arab relations with the United States and Israel have been complicated by the Soviet presence in the Middle East and by a change in German policy toward arms supplies. He argues the latter has led to the U.S. becoming Israel's exclusive purveyor of arms.