A Peace to End All Peace is a historical nonfiction book that documents and analyzes the Agreement of Istanbul made between the European powers and the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the 20th century. It was written by a former British diplomat, David Fromkin, and examines how this supposedly “final” settlement between Europe and the Middle East ended in pieces with the creation of the state of Israel in 1946. The book illustrates how the Agreement set the stage for the rise of several nations in the Middle East, and how the Agreement’s shortcomings and neglect created many of the conflicts that have plagued the region in the decades since.
Chapter 1
Chapter 1 of A Peace to End All Peace discusses the events leading up to the Agreement of Istanbul. It begins with the Congress of Berlin in 1878, which pitted the Ottoman Empire against Russia, Britain, France, and Austria, among others. Fromkin explains how the European nations used the negotiation as a way to control the balance of power in the region and how their actions resulted in the Ottoman Empire losing much of its holdings in Europe and North Africa. He also talks about how the actions of the European powers at the Congress led to the decline of the Ottoman Empire and the creation of an artificial state, known as the “Cost of Living Compromise,” composed of the nations’ colonies and territories.
Chapter 2
In Chapter 2, Fromkin details the Agreement of Istanbul and how it represented a separation between Europe and the Middle East. He explains how the Agreement, which supplanted the Cost of Living Compromise and gave European nations control over their colonies, was part of a trend, emerging in the late 19th century, of European nations attempting to export their way of life and government to the colonies. Fromkin also examines how the Agreement caused a rift between the Europeans and the Ottomans, who claimed that the Agreement neglected their interests and made little effort to redress their grievances.
Chapter 3
Chapter 3 focuses on the legacy of the Agreement of Istanbul and the consequences of the Agreement’s shortcomings. Fromkin explores how the new nations created in the middle of the Agreement’s boundaries lacked closely-knit ties that could have eased the process of achieving any lasting peace in the region. He also discusses how political instability in the region as a result of the Agreement, combined with European colonial interference, caused a breakdown of economic and political structure, leading to further chaos and increasing discontent.
Chapter 4
Chapter 4 looks at how the Agreement of Istanbul’s failings eventually led to the creation of Israel in 1946. Fromkin examines the influence of Zionism, the Jewish nationalist movement, and explains how its flagging support within the Jewish community near the time of the Agreement allowed its opponents to easily shoot it down. He also discusses how the Agreement’s neglect of any sort of unified Jewish homeland led to the formation of the Israel Provisional Government and the establishment of the state of Israel.
Chapter 5
In the final chapter, Fromkin assesses the consequences of the Agreement of Istanbul for the modern Middle East. He looks at how the Agreement’s lack of unified boundaries between the new nations disagreeing on their borders and identities led to lasting conflicts between them and how the Agreement’s lack of unified regulations caused the region to be “riven by feuds and wars.” Lastly, Fromkin discusses how the Agreement’s disregard for the interests of the Ottoman Empire led to the resurgence of Islamic fundamentalism and its displacement of traditional Ottoman secularism, creating the conditions that continue to plague the region today.
