13 - The Road Map for Regime Change

Summary

Chapter 13 evaluates Israeli foreign policy amid the rise of the second Sharon government, the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq and the launch of the Road Map for Peace. It traces the rise of Ariel Sharon, as the primary decision-maker, and the strengthening grip of his informal circle of confidants on Israeli foreign policy. The chapter contributes to the literature by demonstrating that the Road Map was not, as stated by the Bush administration, a peace plan. Rather, it was a blueprint plan for regime change within the Palestinian Authority, designed to shift the power base from the then president, Yasser Arafat, to the newly created role of prime minister, which was taken up by Mahmoud Abbas. The chapter critically reviews the flaws of the Road Map, how Israel used it to pursue its own interests rather than advance the peace process, and why Abbas failed to perform his role as prime minister.