Definition of Peace and Reconciliation in the Middle East

This chapter begins by providing a context for Middle Eastern definitions of peace and reconciliation, with particular attention to the control of the region by major powers exercising economic dominance, maintenance of client rulers during and beyond the Cold War, the relationship between Israel and the United States, and the role of two Zionisms – Christian Zionism and Jewish Zionism – in contributing to lasting conflicts in the Middle East. A sample of 601 participants from Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iran, Israel, Jordon, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates responded to the Personal and Institutional Rights to Aggression and Peace Survey (PAIRTAPS), including providing definitions of “peace” and “reconciliation.” Rather than viewing peace just as the cessation of violence, the majority of participants focused on structural requirements for lasting peace such as justice and fairness, as well as describing the benefits of peace. Reconciliation was commonly conceptualized as a process such as coming to terms, making agreements, compromising, and negotiating. This chapter concludes with a consideration of the extent to which circumstances in the Middle East are reaching the kind of tipping point in the balance of power leading each party to the conflict to believe that, on balance, it may have more to gain by the cessation of conflict than by its continuance.