The Paradox of Peace: The Impact of Normalization with Israel on the Arab World

Abstract

How can peace initiatives facilitate authoritarian practices? Peace initiatives that do not address the root causes of conflict, and maintain structural violence, can facilitate authoritarian practices through both material and discursive mechanisms. I use the recent steps towards normalization and, in some instances, peace agreements between Israel and a number of Arab states to make this argument. I examine this dynamic across Gulf Cooperation Council states with varying authoritarian practices and ties to Israel. This paper contributes to our understanding of the impacts of illiberal peace and how it functions, transnationally and at varying levels within and outside state authority.