Spoiling and Coping with Spoilers

Essays analyzing the role of those who damage or work to damage peace negotiations, specifically in connection to the Israeli-Arab conflict.

For as long as people have been working to bring peace to areas suffering long-standing, violent conflict, there have also been those working to spoil this peace. These “spoilers” work to disrupt the peace process, and often this disruption takes the form of violence on a catastrophic level. Galia Golan and Gilead Sher offer a broader perspective. They examine this phenomenon by analyzing groups who have spoiled or attempted to spoil peace efforts by political or other nonviolent means. By focusing in particular on the Israeli-Arab conflict, this collection of essays considers the impact of a democratic society operating within a broader context of violence. Contributors bring to light the surprising efforts of negotiators, members of the media, political leaders, and even the courts to disrupt the peace process, and they offer coping strategies for addressing this kind of disruption. Taking into account the multitude of factors that can lead to the breakdown of negotiations, Spoiling and Coping with Spoilers shows how spoilers have been a key factor in Israeli-Arab negotiations in the past and explores how they will likely shape negotiations in the future.

“Overall, Spoiling and Coping with Spoilers offers a refreshing approach to understanding the Israeli-Arab conflict and peace process. By examining the role of spoiling and spoilers, it engages the reader in questions about the potential for and challenges to peace in the region. . . . Highly recommended.” —Choice