Sturkey (Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies, Australian National U.) analyzes US efforts towards a settlement between Israel on the one hand and Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and the Palestinians on the other as a study in the efficacy (or lack thereof) of US power and statecraft. He provides an account of US efforts from the George H. W. Bush administration through the first six years of the administration of his son, describing and evaluating the employment of positive sanctions, international norms, persuasion, and public diplomacy. He argues that the US was unable to achieve its goals because it was imprecise in its objectives; held false expectations regarding the creation of trust among the contending parties, the immutability of the demography of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and the acceptance of peace as a public good by the countries of the Middle East; and failed to understand the internal dynamics of the political institutions with which it was negotiating. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)