5 Why does Axelrod care about these historical analogies? Why should anyone? Because political leaders often use historical analogies to share the experiences that guide their thinking. They are, as Axelrod puts it, ways of ‘framing’ the Middle East conflict. The events of the conflict are the same for all parties, but each party’s view of them is different. The analogies Ramadan Shallah shared with Axelrod and his colleagues during their meeting clarified how the Hamas leader saw the world, including his frustration with the lack of active support from Arab governments, his take on the causes of the failure of the Oslo peace process, and Hamas’s sense that history is on its side. Some conflicts are quickly resolved, incurring limited damages. Others last longer and threaten the safety of more parties. Still others last for decades, even centuries, with one generation passing the legacy of fear and hostility on to the next. These conflicts—some of the most dangerous in the world—are often categorized as intractable. They’re obstinate, deadly conflicts that go on and on. The Middle East conflict falls into this category; as does the ongoing conflict in Kashmir. But the conflict in Northern Ireland—entering its twelfth year of peace since the historic Belfast Agreement that Lord John Alderdice helped broker— is over, as is the Cold War that inspired Axelrod to dedicate his career to the study of conflict and cooperation. ■
Find articles & papers by Axelrod Based on his work in the Middle East, Axelrod has published policy-oriented papers on how to deal with sacred values in seemingly intractable conflict. These papers have appeared in Science and in The Negotiation Journal, and are available on his personal web page at www-personal.umich.edu/~axe/.
Spotlight on
ROBERT AXELROD • For the 2007 Ford School charity auction, Axelrod offered to play a game of Risk with the winning bidder. The students who won the lot—for a pooled contribution of $625—still tell stories about playing Risk with the master of game theory. • Axelrod has received numerous awards and distinctions during his academic career including a MacArthur Prize Fellowship in 1987, a National Academy of Sciences Award for Behavioral Research Relevant to the Prevention of Nuclear War in 1990, and the Wilber Cross Medal of the Yale Graduate School Alumni Association, for “extraordinary intellectual accomplishments,” in 2008. • At the University of Michigan, Axelrod regularly teaches courses on international security and framing and complexity theories in the social sciences. • Axelrod consults and lectures for a number of national and international organizations including the U.S. Office of the Secretary of Defense, the United Nations, and the World Bank.