The Arab-Israeli Conflict Transformed: Fifty Years of Interstate and Ethnic Crises

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The Arab-Israeli Conflict Transformed The Arab-Israeli Conflict Transformed HEMDA BEN-YEHUDA and SHMUEL SANDLER FIFTY YEARS OF INTERSTATE AND ETHNIC CRISES POLITICAL SCIENCE The Middle East conflict, be it between the state of Israel and Arab states or between Jews and Palestinians, is a staple of international news. Utilizing both theoretical approaches and empirical evidence, Hemda Ben-Yehuda and Shmuel Sandler argue that despite the recent upswing in violence, particularly over the Palestinian issue, conflict has gradually been giving way, since the 1970s, to a more orderly regime of conflict management. By integrating ethnonational theoretical literature into their analysis, the authors move beyond the current International Relations debate over the relative merits of realist/neo-realist approaches versus neo-liberal-institutional approaches. Ethnic-state disputes are the primary source for failing to terminate the Arab-Israeli conflict. “The Arab-Israeli Conflict Transformed is useful because it combines theory, case studies, and data analysis in a way that sets an example for further work in the area. It is not written from a position of advocacy but helps to enlighten us about the basis for alternative courses of action in dealing with a persistent and deadly conflict. Its most impressive aspect is its mastery of the evolution of a very complex rivalry in world politics. The book’s basic message—that the Arab-Israeli conflict has moved in a gradually favorable direction—is convincing.” — Patrick James, University of Missouri-Columbia “This book serves as a handy reference guide for crisis research—due in part to the methodological rigor and analysis inherent in the International Crisis Behavior framework.” — David Carment, Carleton University HEMDA BEN-YEHUDA is a Research Associate at the International Crisis Behavior Project and teaches in the Department of Political Studies, Bar-Ilan University. SHMUEL SANDLER is the Sara and Simha Lainer Professor of Democracy and Civility and Chair of the Department of Political Studies at Bar-Ilan University. He is the author of The State of Israel, The Land of Israel: The Statist and Ethnonational Dimensions of Foreign Policy. A volume in the SUNY series in Global Politics James N. Rosenau, editor STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK PRESS www.sunypress.edu FIFTY YEARS OF INTERSTATE AND ETHNIC CRISES HEMDA BEN-YEHUDA and SHMUEL SANDLER The Arab-Israeli Conflict Transformed BEN-YEHUDA AND SANDLER The Arab-Israeli Conflict Transformed SUNY ...