Foreign Affairs. January-February 2020

Dreams of Westphalia

January/February 2020 151

hedge slightly on the prospect of inviting

the Islamic State, or isis, to the table.)

With the Trump administration now

engaged in peace talks with the Tali-

ban, such quibbles may look like a failure

of imagination. One can look back on the

experience of the past decade and con-

clude with some certainty that withdrawal

or disengagement will deliver no better

outcomes. So it makes sense to draw on

a more distant past to chart a path out

of the current predicament, even if that

path is mildly utopian.

The problem, however, is not that the

book’s historical analogy is overly

ambitious or inapplicable; it is that the

authors focus too much on European

history and too little on Middle Eastern

history. The book is at its best when it

chronicles the interconnected conflicts

players, put into place some kind of

power-sharing arrangement among

confessional groups, and include rights

for minorities. A system of collective

security would safeguard the settlement.

Granted, the book was written at a less

conclusive moment in the Syrian war,

when it still appeared possible that

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad might

not prevail. Regardless, the authors’

prescriptions reveal an idealism that at

times borders on delusion. The return

of Palestinian exiles to Israel is an obvious

nonstarter, as is the idea that Russia

should act as the region’s security guaran-

tor. The proposition that a Middle East

peace conference can and must include

parties that consider each other existen-

tial enemies, such as Israel and Hezbol-

lah, is another case in point. (The authors

Teachable moment: Carl Wahlbom’s painting of the Battle of Lützen (1632)

CARL

WAHLBOM

/ INTERFOTO

/ ALAMY

STOCK

PHOTO