"Having observed earlier periods of determined, persistent, creative and wise American diplomacy on the Arab-Israeli conflict, we are left to ponder whether that kind of American leadership and diplomatic wisdom can be recaptured. We also are left to wonder whether the supportive domestic environment in which previous administrations operated will recur, or whether Congressional and public support for Israel has limited administration options and thus changed the very nature of the American role in the peace process. Our overall conclusions in this volume represent a mix of process, politics, and substantive lessons learned, offered in the hope that a better understanding of the past can inform future policy."-from The Peace Puzzle Each phase of Arab-Israeli peacemaking has been inordinately difficult in its own right, and every critical juncture and decision point in the long process has been shaped by U.S. politics and the U.S. leaders of the moment. The Peace Puzzle tracks the American determination to articulate policy, develop strategy and tactics, and see through negotiations to agreements on an issue that has been of singular importance to U.S. interests for more than forty years. In 2006, the authors of The Peace Puzzle formed the Study Group on Arab-Israeli Peacemaking, a project supported by the United States Institute of Peace, to develop a set of "best practices" for American diplomacy. The Study Group conducted in-depth interviews with more than 120 policymakers, diplomats, academics, and civil society figures and developed performance assessments of the various U.S. administrations of the post-Cold War period. This book, an objective account of the role of the United States in attempting to achieve a lasting Arab-Israeli peace, is informed by the authors' access to key individuals and official archives.

"Having known and observed Jeremy for almost half a century, I have no doubt that his influence has been as great as that of all but the most senior figures in government. In his second book ... Jeremy continues the recounting of his life's work, which he began in his early volume, Every Man Should Try: Adventures of a Public Interest Activist. ... Jeremy has devoted his life to conflict resolution and to ending the nuclear arms race. He has, at the same time, gotten involved constructively in a surprising range of interesting issues involving human rights and foreign policy. ...The conflicts that Jeremy sought to mitigate in the second work-US-Russian nuclear relations, China's relation with Taiwan, North Korea's relations with its neighbors, and U.S.-Iranian relations-have all been affected for the better by Jeremy's efforts. ...Readers less familiar with international diplomacy may be surprised and perhaps even incredulous that a private citizen can have such an impact on the thinking and behavior of governments." -From the preface by Morton H. Halperin, Director of the Policy Planning Staff, Department of State (1998-2001)