Presidential Diplomacy and Its Discontents - (Middle East Today) by Daniel Strieff (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Based on newly declassified documents, this book offers a provocative new analysis of President Jimmy Carter's political role in Arab-Israeli diplomacy. It sets forth a novel analysis of the reflexive relationship between domestic politics and foreign policy, especially the role the American Jewish community and pro-Israel lobby groups like AIPAC played in the development and promulgation of Carter's Arab-Israeli policy. As Carter became directly involved in fostering an Egyptian-Israeli dialogue, the Camp David Accords, the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty, and the beginning of Palestinian autonomy talks, his positions grew intertwined with U.S. politics. This dynamic is not unique in American history, but in Carter's term it exerted unprecedented influence both on Arab-Israeli policy and his domestic standing. The insights revealed by this new research shed a revealing light on current issues with the American political process and the Middle East"--

Book Synopsis

Based on newly declassified documents, this book offers a provocative new analysis of President Jimmy Carter's political role in Arab-Israeli diplomacy. It analyzes the reflexive relationship between domestic politics and foreign policy, especially the roles played by the media, public opinion and pro-Israel lobby groups.

Review Quotes

"The Carter Library in Atlanta, Georgia, is a treasure trove of material. ... When it comes to understanding how the Carter administration treated domestic politics in dealing with the Middle East, and in turn, how the US political scene reacted to Carter's Middle East policy, Strieff's book is an extremely valuable contribution to the growing field of Carter literature." (Jørgen Jensehaugen, Journal of Peace Research, February 18, 2016)

About the Author

Daniel P. Strieff has taught at the University of California, Berkeley, USA, and the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK, where he earned his PhD in International History.