The sword is not enough: Arabs, Israelis, and the limits of military force

In this lucid and timely new book, Jeremy Pressman demonstrates that the default use of military force on both sides of the Arab—Israeli conflict has prevented its peaceful resolution.

Whether called deterrence or war, armed struggle or terrorism, the history of the conflict reveals that violence has been counterproductive. Drawing on historical evidence from the 1950s to the present, The sword is not enough pushes back against the dominant belief that military force leads to triumph while n...