Conflict unending

This book has been a long time coming in the think ing stage, and in its writing, editing, and revision. It is difficult to say just how long a time it has been, for I did not set out to write this book or indeed any book on the subject of managing regional conflicts: one more or less evolved.

My interest in the subject dates back to my undergraduate years at Oberlin, when I first learned about the Arab-Israeli conflict. A year in Israel helped me gain a knowledge of the region, as did several subsequent visits to Israel and to many of the Arab countries. Especially valuable was my trip to the region in spring 1988, when I traveled as a member of the study group of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Travel and study provided similar opportunities to learn about some of the other conflicts discussed in this book. While living for nearly six years in the United Kingdom during the 1970s (three in Oxford as a graduate student, and then several more in London at the International Institute for Strategic Studies), I gained some insight into the tragedy of Northern Ireland. My work on my doctoral thesis (on American policy toward Southwest Asia) and travel sponsored by the U.S. Information Agency introduced me to South Asia, and a trip made possible by the South Africa Foundation gave me my personal experience with South Africa.

Cyprus is a bit different. Although my initial introduction to the island (other than as a tourist) came in the fateful summer of 1974, when I first worked as a foreign affairs aide in the U.S.