Heroic Diplomacy: Sadat, Kissinger, Carter, Begin and the Quest for Arab-Israeli Peace [Hardcover]

Kenneth W. Stein (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415921546 | ISBN-13: 978-0415921541 | Publication Date: June 23, 1999 | Edition: 1

For reasons of national security, official public records surrounding America's involvement in the Arab-Israeli negotiations remain unavailable. This text provides an insight into the internal divisions and untold stories of the peace process. Covering an extraordinary range of first-hand accounts from over 80 bureaucrats, diplomats and military leaders who participated in Arab-Israeli peace talks from 1973 to 1978 the book charts the complex and often contradictory goals of Egypt, Israel, Jordan, the US and the USSR.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The Egyptian-Israeli negotiations that eventually led to the Camp David Accords not only resulted in the signing of a peace agreement between Israel and a major Arab state but also permanently changed the political and strategic map of the Middle East. In this highly readable and informative book, Stein, a historian of the Middle East and former director of the Carter Center at Emory University, gives a detailed analysis of crucial events that brought about this sea change in Arab-Israeli relations. Although the book focuses on the period from October 1973 to November 1977, Stein provides background information for a better understanding of the intricacies of the negotiating process. Through interviews with a host of participants in the Arab-Israeli peace talks, he also provides unique insight into the process of peacemaking. Highly recommended for scholars of the contemporary Middle East, journalists, and practitioners of modern diplomacy.ANader Entessar, Spring Hill Coll., Mobile, AL
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Anyone interested in getting a better grasp of the origins of the current Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations should consult this timely and well-informed book... Drawing on a wealth of Arab, Israeli, American, and Soviet sources, including interviews with decisionmakers and key participants in the peace process, Stein has painted the picture on a wide canvas, without losing sight of the small detail. His is probably the best and most comprehensive account of the making of the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty, not least owing to the dispassionate and even-handed treatment of the various participants in the process. -- Efraim Karsh, Canadian Journal of History
By combining rich and diverse sources, Stein has produced a study unusual for its freshness and credibility...a major contribution to the existing literature on the peace process in its crucial, founding stage, and, as such, is essential reading for those interested in understanding the process as it continues to unfold. Middle East Journal ...finely researched study of the Arab-Israeli peace process... Recommended for upper-division undergraduates and above. -- Choice, April 2000
This masterly study offers us diplomatic history at its best. Anyone interested in Arab-Israeli affairs, conflict resolution, and the art of negotiation will find this book essential, enjoyable, and rewarding. -- Itamar Rabinovich, author of Waging Peace : Israel and the Arabs at the End of the Century
Heroic Diplomacy is indeed remarkable. For the first time, a talented historian has written a lively chronicle of the 30-year Arab-Israeli peace process by drawing on all of the involved parties--Arab, Israeli, and American. It contributes greatly toward understanding the complex diplomatic history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. -- Samuel W. Lewis, U.S. Ambassador to Israel, 1977-1985
Stein's well-written, thoroughly researched account of the process that led to the Camp David Accords is the most comprehensive and insightful review of this political era. Heroic Diplomacy contains a host of new information, and is a coherent and compelling story. -- Joel Singer, former Legal Advisor of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and drafter of the Oslo Agreements
A fine study of that period of intense negotiations...Stein's impressive reconstruction of what the many different policymakers thought at the time and how they acted is all the more persuasive (and useful) because he scrupulously cites his sources. -- Foreign Affairs
Stein clearly loves the story, and conveys his enthusiasm through vivid, three-dimensional portraits of the protagonists...it [has] an authenticity and immediacy that many other historical accounts lack. -- Middle East Insight
Stein's study if useful both for capturing valuable oral testimony and for shedding light on the personal and political elements of successful peace negotiations. -- Booklist
In this highly readable and informative book, Stein, a historian of the Middle East and former director of the Carter Center at Emory University, gives a detailed analysis of crucial events that brought about this sea change in Arab-Israeli relations. Although the book focuses on the period from October 1973 to November 1977, Stein provides background information for a better understanding of the intricacies of the negotiating process. Through interviews with a host of participants in the Arab-Israeli peace talks, he also provides unique insight into the process of peacemaking. Highly recommended for scholars of the comtemporary Middle East, journalists, and practitioners of modern diplomacy. -- Nader Entessar

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (June 23, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415921546
• ISBN-13: 978-0415921541
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,374,219 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Student Reviews Stein's "Heroic Diplomacy", October 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Heroic Diplomacy: Sadat, Kissinger, Carter, Begin and the Quest for Arab-Israeli Peace (Paperback)

As a student at Emory University, I had the unique pleasure of taking a course on the history of the modern Middle East with Kenneth W. Stein. As I learned in the classroom and later when I was finally able to read Heroic Diplomacy, Stein is indeed an expert in the complex and intricate field of Arab-Israeli conflict and in the confusing nature of the peace negotiations. In his classroom, I began to understand the conflicting goals of the major players in the region, and to appreciate the crucial role of Arab, Israeli and outside leadership in elucidating and beginning to resolve these issues. Heroic Diplomacy masterfully expounds upon these themes through a detailed account beginning with the October War of 1973, and continuing through the subsequent negotiations that ultimately led to the Camp David Accords and the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty.

This book is especially unique and important in that it draws from interviews with over eighty participants in the actual military and political negotiations between Egypt and Israel. The author conducted personal interviews with prominent leaders in the peace process, ranging from U.S. President Jimmy Carter to Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir and Jordan's King Hussein. Stein thoroughly examines the issues and sacrifices that the leaders confronted, particularly through his detailed discussions of Sadat, Kissinger, Carter and Begin.

But perhaps even more interesting, the book chronicles many of the intricacies of the negotiations through interviews with low-level career diplomats, foreign service officers and statesmen. These individuals, as Stein discusses in his introduction, have virtually become the archive of the Arab-Israeli peace process. Since few if any of them have written personal memoirs of the small portion of history they affected, Heroic Diplomacy might be the only account that will remain from their contribution to Arab-Israeli diplomacy. Information obtained from these interviews, combined with the insights gained from his discussions with world leaders, fills the book with a fascinating and timely history of this particularly contentious period.

Heroic Diplomacy is a critically important contribution to any understanding of the Arab-Israeli peace process. Stein confronts a complex and often emotional question: how could Egypt and Israel, two nations that seemed utterly opposed to one another, shock the world by signing the Camp David Peace Accords in 1978? This historical account of the negotiations answers that question in great detail. Further, the book is written in a clear and engaging way, and can be appreciated regardless of whether or not one is already a scholar of the Middle East.

I feel fortunate to have shared the classroom with Dr. Stein, and this book is a testament to his knowledge and expertise. As such, Heroic Diplomacy is crucial for anyone interested in the Arab-Israeli conflict. And for those less fortunate, who have not been able to spend substantial time studying with the author, it is a must-read.