Summary of Heroic Diplomacy

         Critical turning points in the Arab-Israeli conflict came in the 1970s. Replacing Nasser as Egypt's president, Anwar Sadat, in 1972, unexpectedly expelled Soviet advisors and collusively planned the October 1973 War with Syria. Though the War traumatized the Israeli public, it initiated Henry Kissinger's American-led diplomatic engagement. That prompted a steady demise of Soviet strength in Egypt and culminated in three Arab-Israeli disengagement agreements. Jimmy Carter took the diplomatic reigns and persuasively cajoled Sadat and newly-elected Israeli Prime Minister Begin to make difficult and unpopular compromises in the 1978 Camp David Accords and in the 1979 Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty.

            Delving into the characters, personalities, and motivations of Sadat, Kissinger, Carter, and Begin, Heroic Diplomacy provides and extraordinary range of first-hand accounts, recollections, and anecdotes. Stein's one hundred and fifty hours of interviews with more than eighty participants including heads of state, military leaders, diplomats, and bureaucrats give Heroic Diplomacy its unique texture and content. Candid recollections about personal successes and failures along with first-hand accounts of crucial meetings reveal the political intrigue, bureaucratic scraps, and untold stories of peace talks. With most of the official public record unavailable for reasons of national security, Stein's insights culled from his interviews and material released through the Freedom of Information Act provide and enthralling story.

            Charting often contradictory goals of Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Syria, the U.S. and the U.S.S.R., Stein weaves them into a wonderfully compelling story. An extensive introduction to the 1970s and an epilogue of Arab-Israeli diplomatic events to the end of the century make Heroic Diplomacy a must for anyone interested in how the Arab-Israeli conflict has evolved into a series of Arab-Israeli relationships.