Peter Jones has written an interesting book on a subject most people do not know even exists. Jones is well placed to have done so, putting together Track Two Diplomacy in Theory and Practice after decades of work in the Middle East, South Asia and elsewhere, as well as an accompanying academic career teaching and researching on the issue.
The book is a comprehensive effort to describe the ins and outs of this kind of diplomacy. I have been a practitioner of track two diplomacy for more than 15 years, and before that an official diplomat, and the book has proven to be quite enlightening for my own experiences.
However, first and foremost, what is track two diplomacy? Most people are unfamiliar with the term, and, if described otherwise (private or informal diplomacy), it can even sound almost shady.
Jones defines the term as unofficial dialogues between conflicted parties often facilitated by a third party aimed at new ways to resolve...
John Bell is the director of the Middle East and Mediterranean Programme at the Toledo International Centre for Peace in Madrid. He has led many track two initiatives in the Middle East and North Africa, and is a co-founder of the Jerusalem Old City Initiative (based at the University of Windsor).
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