The Truth About Camp David: The Untold Story About the Collapse of the Middle East Peace Process (Nation Books) [Paperback]

Clayton E. Swisher (Author)

Book Description

Series: Nation Books | Publication Date: September 15, 2004

The collapse of both sets of Arab-Israeli negotiations in 2000 led not only to recrimination and bloodshed, with the outbreak of the second intifada, but to the creation of a new myth. Syrian and Palestinian intransigence was blamed for the current disastrous state of affairs, as both parties rejected a "generous" peace offering from the Israelis that would have brought peace to the region. The Truth About Camp David shatters that myth. Based on the riveting, eyewitness accounts of more than forty direct participants involved in the latest rounds of Arab-Israeli negotiations, including the Camp David 2000 summit, former federal investigator-turned-investigative journalist Clayton E. Swisher provides a compelling counter-narrative to the commonly accepted history. The Truth About Camp David details the tragic inner workings of the Clinton Administration's negotiating mayhem, their eleventh hour blunders and miscalculations, and their concluding decision to end the Oslo process with blame and disengagement. It is not only a fascinating historical look at Middle East politics on the brink of disaster, but a revelatory portrait of how all-too-human American political considerations helped facilitate the present crisis.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...A fascinating book, an invasive, incisive and merciless probe of the guts of the Clinton administration." -- Akiva Eldar,

"A carefully researched account that challenges conventional interpretations of the Camp David summit of 2000." -- William B. Quandt, Professor of Politics, University of Virginia, author of Peace Process

"Any future mediator will have to read this account before the start of any final-status negotiations." -- Charles Enderlin, author of Shattered Dreams and Jerusalem Bureau chief of France 2 television

"Challenging the pieties and political correctness of American discourse, Swisher makes a convincing case." -- L. Carl Brown, Foreign Affairs, September/October 2005

About the Author

CLAYTON E. SWISHER, a former marine reservist and federal criminal investigator, was educated at the University of Pittsburgh and Georgetown University, and is currently studying Law & Economics part-time at George Mason University. Swisher works as an associate for a Middle East consulting firm in Washington, D.C. where he resides.

Product Details

• Paperback: 455 pages
• Publisher: Nation Books (September 15, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560256230
• ISBN-13: 978-1560256236
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #978,149 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

70 of 83 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book yet on Mideast peace process, September 7, 2004

By 

M. Rosenberg "freddymac" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Truth About Camp David: The Untold Story About the Collapse of the Middle East Peace Process (Nation Books) (Paperback)

Talk about doing your homework. Clayton Swisher has interviewed virtually everyone involved in the Middle East peace process. And they told him very different things than we have all read before. That is why, as of this time, this is the most definitive book on why the Oslo process collapsed in 2000. Well-written, heavily footnoted, loaded with juicy nuggets, this is a book anyone even mildly interested in the Mideast will want to read. All I can say is "Bravo."

68 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Puts Dennis Ross book to shame, October 14, 2004

By 

JeffGold "Jeff" (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Truth About Camp David: The Untold Story About the Collapse of the Middle East Peace Process (Nation Books) (Paperback)

First I read Dennis Ross' self-serving book about Camp David. Then I read this guy's.
No comparison. Ross' book is all about Ross. He is always right and the Israelis are always right.
Swisher, who interviewed everybody who was at Camp David, finds that there was plenty of blame to go around. And Ross is himself blamed for his blatant pro-Israel bias and for misleading President Clinton.
Swisher is a fine scholar. This book will be the one that future historians will view as the best source on what really happened at Camp David and why. It's a great Christmas gift too. How about some truth in your Christmas or Hanukah stockings!

45 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unbelievable Book!, October 4, 2004

By 

SG (Washington DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Truth About Camp David: The Untold Story About the Collapse of the Middle East Peace Process (Nation Books) (Paperback)

I have read virtually every book on the Palestinian-Isreali conflict and I found this book to be among the best. Clayton Swisher brings a truly unique perspective to a complex and often misunderstood issue. This is a must read for anyone who wants to truly understand the conflict.