ABSTRACT
From 1991 to 2001, Arab-Israeli relations were characterized by diplomatic triumphs as well as familiar problems. First under President George H. W. Bush, a Republican, and then under President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, the United States remained deeply involved in Arab-Israeli relations. The Bush administration capitalized on major changes in regional and world politics to jump-start the peace process at Madrid. The chapter describes changes in the international and regional distribution of power that opened the door to Arab-Israeli diplomacy. It addresses the Oslo agreements and some of the specific reasons why the Israeli-Palestinian process failed. The chapter considers the tenures of Benjamin Netanyahu and Ehud Barak, the failed Camp David summit, and the Clinton Plan and final talks at Taba, Egypt, in January 2001. Yet the Bush and Clinton administrations, which governed in the period between the Cold War and the al-Qa'ida threat, nonetheless invested heavily in regional diplomacy.
