Holy War, Holy Peace How Religion Can Bring Peace to the Middle East

by Gopin, Marc

• ISBN13: 9780195146509
• ISBN10: 0195146506
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-04-11
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

The Intifada of 2000-2001 has demonstrated the end of an era of diplomacy in the Arab-Israeli conflict. The style of peacemaking of the Olso Accords has been called into question by the facts on the ground. Elite forms of peacemaking that do not embrace the basic needs of average people on allsides are bound to fail. The complete neglect of deeper cultural and religious systems in the peace process is now apparent, as is the role that this neglect has played in the failure of the process. Building on his earlier book, Between Eden and Armageddon, Gopin provides a detailed blueprint of how the religioustraditions in question can become a principal asset in the search for peace and justice. He demonstrates how religious people can be the critical missing link in peacemaking, and how the incorporation of their values and symbols can unleash a new dynamic that directly addresses basic issues ofethics, justice, and peace. Gopin's analysis of the theoretical, theological, and political planes shows us what has been achieved thus far, as well as what must be done next in order to ensure effective final settlement negotiations and secure, sovereign, democratic countries for both peoples.

Author Biography

Marc Gopin, author of Holy War, Holy Peace (Oxford, 2002), is a Senior Associate in the Preventive Diplomacy Program of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington D.C, Visiting Associate Professor of International Diplomacy at Tufts University's Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and a Senior Researcher at its Institute for Human Security.

Table of Contents

Part I: Analysis
The Interaction between Religion and Culture in Peace and Conflict	3	(4)
Family Myths and Cultural Conflict	7	(30)
Political and Mythic Interdependencies	37	(21)
Patterns of Abrahamic Incrimination	58	(34)
Conflict, Injury, and Transformation	92	(11)
Part II: Practical Applications
Patterns of Abrahamic Reconciliation: Act, Ritual, and Symbol as Transformation	103	(41)
The Use of the Word and Its Limits: Dialogue as Peacemaking	144	(16)
Ritual Civility, Moral Practices of Interpersonal Exchange, and Symbolic Communication	160	(26)
De-escalation Plans and General Steps toward a New Relationship	186	(12)
Specific Steps toward a New Relationship	198	(31)
Notes	229	(26)
Bibliography	255	(6)
Index	261