Fresh Off the Press
New Book By Sandy Hulme Examines Israeli-Palestinian ‘Road Map for Peace’
A five-year labor finally came to fruition last month for Alma
College’s Derick “Sandy” Hulme when he held in his hand a copy of his
third book, The Israeli-Palestinian Road Map for Peace: A Critical Analysis.
The idea for the book came as he was finishing his second book on Palestinian terrorism, Palestinian Terrorism and US Foreign Policy, 1969-1977: Dynamics of Response (2004).
“Palestinian Terrorism had a more historical focus, and I was interested in the current efforts for peace,” he says.
Derick "Sandy" Hulme
Hulme,
professor of political science, began researching the “Road Map for
Peace,” a plan put forth by the United States, United Nations, European
Union and Russia with a goal of creating a Palestinian state by
December of 2005.
“Obviously that didn’t happen, so my book is a case study to assess why
this plan, which was supposed to resolve the conflict, did not,” he
says. “The book also has suggestions for moving the process forward.”
Hulme argues that the “Road Map” was unable to overcome the
participants’ “significant and longstanding differences,” including
“different perspectives on empowered multilateral versus mediated
bilateral negotiations, incremental versus comprehensive peacemaking
strategies, and formulations for resolving such final status issues as
Jerusalem, borders, settlements, and refugees.”
The plan’s failure highlights the need for policymakers to develop
those conceptual skills and perceptual sensitivities that are necessary
for resolving transnational conflicts, says Hulme.
Hulme used archival material from a variety of presidential libraries,
including the Nixon, Ford and Carter libraries, as well as negotiation
documents in his research.
“There are no other books dealing with this effort, and it’s very
challenging to write about a brand new area,” he says. “But, it’s also
a nice opportunity. As a scholar, I feel it’s very important to engage
with my discipline and contribute to the literature.”
Hulme plans to use the book in his classes.
He already has started a fourth book about the efforts of the Clinton
and Bush administrations to use terrorism for political advantage.
— Amanda VanLente-Hatter
Posted: Thu, November 6th, 2008 at 9:38AM
