Yael S. Aronoff is the Michael and Elaine Serling Chair in Israel Studies and Associate Professor of International Relations at James Madison College. She is a recipient of the Michigan State University 2011 Teacher Scholar Award and is also Associate Director of Jewish Studies at Michigan State University. Professor Aronoff's work has been published in Israel Studies, the Israel Studies Forum and Political Science Quarterly. She serves as the book review editor for the journal Israel Studies Review, and she is on the Board of Directors of the Association of Israel Studies. She served as Assistant for Regional Humanitarian Programs at the Pentagon's Office of Humanitarian and Refugee Affairs under the Office of the Secretary of Defense in 1994, and she was a Jacob K. Javits Fellow with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1992-3.

'Yael S. Aronoff's book interweaves international relations theory with selected aspects of Israeli history (Israeli leadership styles) in a very skilful way, making an important contribution both to IR theory and to the literature on the Arab-Israeli conflict. Composed in a clearly written style, it will offer important insights to undergraduates, graduate students, and researchers alike.' Robert O. Freedman, The Johns Hopkins University

• 1. Introduction: when hard-liners opt for peace; 2. Yitzhak Shamir: once a hawk, always a hawk; 3. Benjamin Netanyahu: battling the world; 4. Ariel Sharon: from warfare to withdrawal; 5. Yitzhak Rabin: from hawk to Nobel Prize peacemaker; 6. Ehud Barak: all or nothing; 7. Shimon Peres: from Dimona to Oslo; 8. Expanding the political conversion story; Appendix A. Political psychology of Israeli prime ministers: summary table of key factors and findings; Appendix B. Interviews by the author.

Yael S. Aronoff is the Michael and Elaine Serling Chair in Israel Studies and Associate Professor of International Relations at James Madison College. She is a recipient of the Michigan State University 2011 Teacher Scholar Award and is also Associate Director of Jewish Studies at Michigan State University. Professor Aronoff's work has been published in Israel Studies, the Israel Studies Forum and Political Science Quarterly. She serves as the book review editor for the journal Israel Studies Review, and she is on the Board of Directors of the Association of Israel Studies. She served as Assistant for Regional Humanitarian Programs at the Pentagon's Office of Humanitarian and Refugee Affairs under the Office of the Secretary of Defense in 1994, and she was a Jacob K. Javits Fellow with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1992-3.

'Yael S. Aronoff's book interweaves international relations theory with selected aspects of Israeli history (Israeli leadership styles) in a very skilful way, making an important contribution both to IR theory and to the literature on the Arab-Israeli conflict. Composed in a clearly written style, it will offer important insights to undergraduates, graduate students, and researchers alike.' Robert O. Freedman, The Johns Hopkins University

• 1. Introduction: when hard-liners opt for peace; 2. Yitzhak Shamir: once a hawk, always a hawk; 3. Benjamin Netanyahu: battling the world; 4. Ariel Sharon: from warfare to withdrawal; 5. Yitzhak Rabin: from hawk to Nobel Prize peacemaker; 6. Ehud Barak: all or nothing; 7. Shimon Peres: from Dimona to Oslo; 8. Expanding the political conversion story; Appendix A. Political psychology of Israeli prime ministers: summary table of key factors and findings; Appendix B. Interviews by the author.

Yael S. Aronoff is the Michael and Elaine Serling Chair in Israel Studies and Associate Professor of International Relations at James Madison College. She is a recipient of the Michigan State University 2011 Teacher Scholar Award and is also Associate Director of Jewish Studies at Michigan State University. Professor Aronoff's work has been published in Israel Studies, the Israel Studies Forum and Political Science Quarterly. She serves as the book review editor for the journal Israel Studies Review, and she is on the Board of Directors of the Association of Israel Studies. She served as Assistant for Regional Humanitarian Programs at the Pentagon's Office of Humanitarian and Refugee Affairs under the Office of the Secretary of Defense in 1994, and she was a Jacob K. Javits Fellow with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1992-3.

'Yael S. Aronoff's book interweaves international relations theory with selected aspects of Israeli history (Israeli leadership styles) in a very skilful way, making an important contribution both to IR theory and to the literature on the Arab-Israeli conflict. Composed in a clearly written style, it will offer important insights to undergraduates, graduate students, and researchers alike.' Robert O. Freedman, The Johns Hopkins University

• 1. Introduction: when hard-liners opt for peace; 2. Yitzhak Shamir: once a hawk, always a hawk; 3. Benjamin Netanyahu: battling the world; 4. Ariel Sharon: from warfare to withdrawal; 5. Yitzhak Rabin: from hawk to Nobel Prize peacemaker; 6. Ehud Barak: all or nothing; 7. Shimon Peres: from Dimona to Oslo; 8. Expanding the political conversion story; Appendix A. Political psychology of Israeli prime ministers: summary table of key factors and findings; Appendix B. Interviews by the author.