Arab-Israeli Diplomacy Under Carter - by Jørgen Jensehaugen (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The history of U.S. diplomacy in the Middle East is marked by numerous stark failures and a few ephemeral successes. Jimmy Carter's short-lived Middle East diplomatic strategy constitutes an exception in vision and approach. In this extensive and long-overdue analysis of Carter's Middle East policy, Jorgen Jensehaugen sheds light on this important and unprecedented chapter in U.S. regional diplomacy. Against all odds, including the rise of Menachem Begin's right-wing government in Israel, Carter broke new ground by demanding the involvement of the Palestinians in Arab-Israeli diplomatic negotiations. This book assesses the president's `comprehensive peace' doctrine, which aimed to encompass all parties of the conflict, and reveals the reasons why his vision ultimately failed.
Largely based on analysis of newly-declassified diplomatic files and American, British, Palestinian and Israeli archival sources, this book is the first comprehensive examination of Jimmy Carter's engagement with the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. At a time when U.S. involvement in the region threatens to exacerbate tensions further, Arab-Israeli Diplomacy under Carter provides important new insights into the historical roots of the ongoing unrest. The book will be of value to Middle East and International Relations scholars, and those researching U.S diplomacy and the Carter Administration.

Review Quotes

"Richly researched and cogently argued" --H-Net Reviews

"This well-written and meticulously researched book provides new insights into one lost opportunity for peace as it charts the attempt of US President Jimmy Carter to negotiate a comprehensive peace in the Middle East ... Jensehaugen's reassessment of Carter's diplomacy is an important contribution to our understanding of the dynamics of the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict and the background to American policies towards the region." --Journal of Peace Research

"Jorgen Jensehaugen has provided an original piece of work both in his use of US archival material and his examination of the way the Carter Administration dealt with the Palestinian issue and the matter of Palestinian participation in negotiations. Indeed, this work fills a void, enlightening us on the inner workings of Carter's team regarding the conflict, while also highlighting the Palestinian aspect of the negotiations at that time (as distinct from the relatively large literature on Egyptian-Israeli relations of the same period). The volume provides new material and insights regarding deliberations within the Carter Administration prior to the Camp David talks. Moreover the author brings a wealth of supporting information and detail, analysing the factors involved in the decisions taken, and the individuals behind them. Truly a valuable contribution to our understanding of the history of American policy regarding the Palestinian issue." --Galia Golan, Darwin Professor emerita, Hebrew University of Jerusalem; author of Israeli Peace Negotiations since 1967: Factors Behind the Breakthroughs and Failures (2014)

"This is a well-researched and expertly told account of the Carter administration's diplomatic efforts in the Arab-Israeli conflict. Jensehaugen has written one of the most compelling narratives of Jimmy Carter's pursuit of, and ultimate failure, to achieve comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace" --Asaf Siniver, Associate Professor of International Security, University of Birmingham

"Arab-Israeli Diplomacy under Carter is an original contribution to scholarship on U.S. foreign policy towards the Middle East, offering a detailed study of a fundamentally misunderstood moment in the wider history of U.S. relations with Israel and the Palestinian question." --Seth Anziska, Mohamed S. Farsi-Polonsky Lecturer in Jewish-Muslim Relations, University College London; author of Preventing Palestine: A Political History from Camp David to Oslo.

"Jørgen Jensehaugen has written a well-researched and clear-eyed assessment of President Jimmy Carter's diplomacy toward the Arab-Israeli conflict." --William B. Quandt, University of Virginia

"An excellent, comprehensive contribution [...] raises important questions about what was possible in the Arab-Israeli-Palestinian arena from 1977 to 1981." --Jeremy Pressman, Associate Professor at the University of Connecticut

About the Author

Jorgen Jensehaugen is Senior Researcher at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO). He was previously Associate Professor of Modern History at the Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences. He holds a PhD in history from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). He has published extensively on the Arab-Israeli conflict, including in the journals The International History Review and British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies.