Back Channel Negotiation: Secrecy in the Middle East Peace Process

Wanis-St. John, Anthony

ISBN 10: 0815635230 / ISBN 13: 9780815635239

Published by Syracuse University Press, 2017

About this Item

Takes on the question of whether the complex and often perilous, secret negotiations between mediating parties prove to be an instrumental path to reconciliation or rather one that disrupts the process. Using the Palestinian-Israeli peace process as a frame-work, the author focuses on the uses and misuses of "back channel" negotiations. Series: Syracuse Studies on Peace and Conflict Resolution. Num Pages: 352 pages. BIC Classification: JPA; JPSD. Category: (P) Professional & Vocational. Dimension: 229 x 152 x 19. Weight in Grams: 513. . 2017. Reprint. paperback. . . . .

Seller Inventory # V9780815635239

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Back Channel Negotiation: Secrecy in the Middle East Peace Process
• Publisher: Syracuse University Press
• Publication Date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0815635230
• ISBN 13: 9780815635239
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

Wanis-St. John takes on the question of whether the complex and often perilous, secret negotiations between mediating parties prove to be an instrumental path to reconciliation or rather one that disrupts the process. Using the Palestinian-Israeli peace process as a frame­work, the author focuses on the uses and misuses of “back channel” negotiations. Wanis-St. John discusses how top level PLO and Israeli government officials often resorted to secret negotiation channels even when they had designated, acknowledged negotiation teams already at work. Intense scrutiny of the media, pressure from con­stituents, and the public’s reaction, all become severe constraints to the process, causing leaders to seek out back channel negotiations. The impact of these secret talks on the peace process over time has largely been unexplored. Through interviews with major negotia­tors and policymakers on both sides and a detailed history of the conflict, the author analyzes the functions and consequences of back channel negotiations. Wanis-St. John reveals the painful irony that these methods for peacemaking have had the unintended effect of inflaming the conflict and sustaining its intractability.

About the Author

<b>Anthony Wanis-St. John</b> is assistant professor at American University in Washington, D.C. He is an advisor to the United States Institute of Peace and has consulted with the World Bank. He has facilitated several workshops for Palestinian and Israeli official negotiation staff and advisors.