Professor Avi Shlaim awarded British Academy conference grant

Professor Avi Shlaim has been awarded a British Academy conference grant for the conference ‘June 1967: The Crisis and its Consequences` to be held at St Antony`s College on 2-3 October 2009.

The June 1967 War was a major turning-point in the history of the modern Middle East, and especially in the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. The origins of this war are as complex as its consequences are far-reaching. Three principal factors contributed to the outbreak of the war: the long-standing hostility between the Arab states and Israel; inter-Arab politics; and the involvement of external powers in the affairs of the region. The secondary literature on the origins of this war is vast but there is no consensus on the relative weight of these three factors. One major objective of this conference is to bring together a group of leading regional experts in order to reassess the causes of the war in the light of recently declassified official documents.

The other major objective of this conference is to reassess the consequences of the June War. Some of the consequences are obvious: the military balance shifted dramatically in Israel`s favour; pan-Arabism suffered a shattering defeat; Israel became a colonial power by occupying the Golan Heights, the West Bank, and the Sinai Peninsula; its neighbours now had a direct stake in the conflict as opposed to simply supporting the Palestinians; and the PLO emerged as a major actor in the struggle for Palestine. All these developments merit in-depth analysis with the help of the rich primary sources that are now available. One question in particular deserves careful study in the light of its continuing relevance today: why did the diplomatic deadlock persist for four decades after the guns fell silent?

One distinctive feature of this conference is the emphasis on the local actors and political dynamics of the region. Western historians have often written about the history of the Middle East as if the local powers were mere driftwood on the sea of international affairs. We do not deny the importance of the great powers in shaping the history of the region. We do, however, believe in devoting equal attention to the role played by the local powers. In short, we want to examine this major watershed in the history of the region not only from the outside looking in but also from the inside looking out.

Avi Shlaim, is Professor of International Relations at Oxford University, Professorial Fellow, St Antony`s College. He is the author of five books on the Middle East. His main research interest is the Arab-Israeli conflict. In 2006 he was elected Fellow of the British Academy.