The assassination of the Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin shocked the world and refocused international attention on the prospects for peace between Israel and its neighbours. But the Arab-Israeli peace process encompasses a series of talks that draw on a much wider set of participants and issues. These multilateral talks involve some forty countries meeting regularly to address the long-term issues that bedevil the Middle East, including arms control and economic development.

In this unique account, Joel Peters pieces together the details of a process that has so often been shrouded in secrecy. He discusses the nature of the process so far, how the talks have broken barriers between Israel and the Arab world, and how they form the basis of a new era of cooperation and prosperity. He makes a number of suggestions for strengthening the framework of the multilaterals, and draws some useful lessons for building peace elsewhere in the world.