Peace Process: American Diplomacy and Arab-Isræli Conflict Since 1967 - Softcover

Quandt, William B.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0520083903 ISBN 13: 9780520083905

Publisher: Brookings Institution Press and the University of California Press, 1993

Synopsis

Each of the past six U.S. presidents has become deeply involved in the diplomacy surrounding the Arab-Israeli conflict. The same has certainly been true for President Bill Clinton. In this book, William Quandt offers the hopeful message that the United States, if it plays its role of mediator skillfully, can contribute to a resolution of the dispute between Israel and its Arab neighbors. He cautions, however, that presidents and their advisers have often misread the realities of the Middle East and pursued flawed policies—especially during the years when the Middle East was viewed through a cold war lens. The result was, at times, a worsening of the conflict.

Quandt provides a detailed account of American policy toward the Arab-Israeli conflict since the June 1967 war. He assesses each administration's initial approach to the problem of peacemaking, along with the evolution of policy as it confronted the stubborn realities of the region and the minefields of domestic political controversy. Given the complexity of the challenge, American policy has shown remarkable consistency and surprising successes, not least that Egypt and Israel are at peace with one another and are both friendly to the United States. More recently, other Arab parties have begun to negotiate with Israel under American auspices. One of the points on which presidents of both political parties have agreed is that an American role in support of Arab-Israeli peace is consistent with American national interests.

A participant in the policymaking process on two occasions as a member of the National Security Council staff in the Nixon and Carter administrations, Quandt brings his experience to bear on this analysis of how decisions are made on a particularly sensitive foreign policy issue. The book concludes with lessons derived from a quarter century of American involvement with the Arab-Israeli peace process.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

"A masterful study of American diplomacy. Quandt’s cogent analysis of the role of crises in defining the agenda for a succession of American presidents is built on new and original evidence. Peace Process is must reading for anyone interested in the Middle East and American foreign policy. It is an enduring study of American leadership in a troubled and important part of the world." Janice Gross Stein, University of Toronto

"Essential reading for those engaged or interested in the present Israeli-Arab peace talks." Ambassador Itamar Rabinovich, Embassy of Israel, Washington, D.C.

"Just the right mix of good, old-fashioned narrative diplomatic history and insightful interpretation. The book truly illuminates American foreign policy regarding the Arab-Israeli conflict, but at the same time it offers thoughtful analysis and interpretation of what diplomacy and American policy is all about." L. Carl Brown, Princeton University

From the Back Cover:

"A masterful study of American diplomacy. Quandt's cogent analysis of the role of crises in defining the agenda for a succession of American presidents is built on new and original evidence. Peace Process is must reading for anyone interested in the Middle East and American foreign policy. It is an enduring study of American leadership in a troubled and important part of the world."--Janice Gross Stein, University of Toronto

About this edition

• Publisher: Brookings Institution Press and the University of California Press
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 0520083903
• ISBN 13: 9780520083905
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 636