THE MADRID CONFERENCE AND THE WASHINGTON PROCESS (19911993): A REGIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR RESOLVING THE ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT

The Madrid Conference, co-chaired by the US and Soviet Union, established a dual-track peace process consisting of bilateral negotiations between Israel and its Arab neighbors and multilateral thematic working groups. While the US successfully secured the participation of key parties—including a joint Jordanian-Palestinian delegation—the process struggled with Israeli and Syrian intransigence. The author contends that the loss of momentum following US Secretary of State James Baker's departure and the subsequent shift toward the direct Israel-Palestine negotiations of the 1993 Oslo Agreement ended the multilateral structure of the Madrid/Washington process.

• The Madrid/Washington process was designed as a comprehensive regional framework combining a multilateral track for regional integration and bilateral tracks to resolve specific conflicts between Israel and Arab states.
• The US capitalized on a unique geopolitical window created by the end of the Cold War and the aftermath of the Gulf War, which reduced the influence of regional spoilers like Iraq, Libya, and Syria and established US primacy.
• To overcome Israeli opposition to the PLO's participation, US Secretary of State James Baker developed a formula for a joint Jordanian-Palestinian delegation, which provided the necessary legitimacy for other Arab states to participate.
• The multilateral thematic Working Groups focused on regional security, economic development, refugees, water, and environment to create functional interests that could transcend political divisions.
• Despite the framework's design, the process was hampered by the rejectionist stances of Israeli Prime Minister Shamir and Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Shara during the opening conference.
• The author argues that the process lost critical momentum when James Baker stepped down as Secretary of State, as the US administration shifted focus toward domestic elections and reverted to a strongly pro-Israel bias.
• The multilateral structure was viewed critically by Syria and Lebanon, who argued it allowed Israel to achieve de facto normalization and economic benefits without making territorial concessions.

APA

Jensehaugen, J. (2024). THE MADRID CONFERENCE AND THE WASHINGTON PROCESS (19911993): A REGIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR RESOLVING THE ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/2f19683e-a7f7-42d1-a908-cfad233daf85/FCDO grant case_Madrid.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Jensehaugen, Jgen. THE MADRID CONFERENCE AND THE WASHINGTON PROCESS (19911993): A REGIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR RESOLVING THE ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2024. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/2f19683e-a7f7-42d1-a908-cfad233daf85/FCDO grant case_Madrid.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Jensehaugen |first1=Jgen |title=THE MADRID CONFERENCE AND THE WASHINGTON PROCESS (19911993): A REGIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR RESOLVING THE ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=November 2024 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/2f19683e-a7f7-42d1-a908-cfad233daf85/FCDO grant case_Madrid.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{jensehaugen2024madrid, author = {Jensehaugen, Jgen}, title = {{THE MADRID CONFERENCE AND THE WASHINGTON PROCESS (19911993): A REGIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR RESOLVING THE ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2024}, month = nov, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/2f19683e-a7f7-42d1-a908-cfad233daf85/FCDO grant case_Madrid.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }