AbstractsPolitical Science

The relationship between Israel and Lebanon has for decades been characterized by conflict and the 2006 War in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah was the last major confrontation in the Israeli-Lebanese conflict. The aim of this thesis has been to investigate how this war impacted on the prospects for peace negotiations between Israel and Lebanon. The 2006 War in Lebanon was a conflict between a state (Israel) and a non-state actor in another state (Hezbollah in Lebanon). Seen from the point of view of negotiation theory the issues that have come to the fore following this war have been complex and intriguing. Using Putnam s theory of international negotiations as a two-level game, the thesis centres attention on how domestic politics affect the prospects for initiation of international negotiations. Looking at the situation in Lebanon in the aftermath of the war, it highlights some of the challenges that diplomatic efforts face in weak states. Looking at the Israeli political situation in the aftermath of the war, it also seeks to highlight how war against a non-state actor in another state can create domestic challenges for diplomacy. It is being argued that the Lebanese state was further weakened as a result of the war and that this factor constitutes an important impediment to the initiation of peace negotiations as negotiating on the domestic level in a domestic state is not a straightforward issue. With regards to Israel, the thesis argues that the war led to an Israeli perception of weakened deterrence that has contributed to lessen Israeli willingness to enter into negotiations with Lebanon as states in general prefer to negotiate from a position of strength.