| Summary/Abstract |
The importance of culture, while recognized, has received proportionately less attention than political and economic issues and objective interests in settling political disputes. Traditional ways of understanding conflict and approaches to reconciliation nevertheless appear to play a major role in the frequent breakdown of peace agreements, as parties’ underlying needs and expectations are not met. A review of data on peace agreements in the Middle East as compared to the rest of the world shows that power imbalance, perceptions of injustice and the authority of potential mediators play especially important roles in success. In cases of inter-Arab and Arab–Israeli conflict, reconciliation requires power rebalance, demonstrated mutual respect and security guarantees.
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