Praise for Arbitrating Armed Conflict

"Thomas Schelling hypothesized that even belligerents may act rationally to structure their conflict by informal or tacit arrangements. Adir Waldman demonstrates, in this remarkable study, that an agreement between Lebanese irregular forces and the Israeli government, which was concluded in 1996, permitted serious military conflict to continue between the Israeli Defense Force and Hesbollah, but established explicit rules with respect to who could be a target. A special commission of representatives of both governments was established and for the next four years, it met 103 times and resolved 607 complaints of violations of the Agreement. All this, while the two sides continued to engage in a very hot, but limited conflict. This important book shows that a social organization like war can be regulated, even among the fiercest of enemies."
- W Michael Reisman is Myres S. McDougal Professor of International Law at Yale University Law School. Since 2000 he has served as President of the Arbitration Tribunal for the Bank of International Settlements. He is a member of the UN Boundary  Commission for Eritrea and  Ethiopia. He is the author of numerous publications iand is Editor in Chief of the American Journal of International Law.

"Adir Waldman tells the fascinating story of how 'soft law' limited conflict between Lebanon
and Israel from 1996 to 2000. His analysis draws valuable lessons relevant in the Middle East and elsewhere when true peace is impossible but neither side wants total war."
- Lance Liebman, William S. Beinecke Professor of Law and Director, American Law Institute (ALI); former Director, Parker School of Foreign and Comparative Law, Columbia University School of Law.

"A well researched and superbly written study of a fascinating legal mechanism. Waldman's scholarship fills a gaping hole in our understanding of this remarkable legal arrangement. His analysis of these hitherto unpublished materials sheds light on the complexity of the conflict in southern Lebanon and the unique involvement of outside parties in attempting to contain the fighting." 
- Dorian Barag, International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY).

"Adir Waldman's account of the April Agreement and the Israel-Lebanon Monitoring Group tells the fascinating story of a little known and less understood exercise in international law  and diplomacy. The book is rich with insights into this unusual agreement's efficacy, as law, in constraining the conduct of belligerents. It makes a persuasive case for the importance of understanding this particular practical arrangement for protecting civilians caught in the midst of a complicated violent conflict."
- Jim Silk, Executive Director, Orville H. Schell, Jr. Center for International Human Rights,
Yale Law School

"As the world stands helpless in the face of the collapse of normal rules governing the conduct of combatants, it is encouraging to read a report, together with opinions, of a unique entity, The Israel-Lebanon Monitoring Group, which was established in 1996 by the governments of Israel and Lebanon to govern the conduct of sovereign states engaged in physical combat. This unique experience in international law provides some glimmer of hope that enemies can still engage in combat subject to rules that each side is prepared to follow."
- Norman Redlich, Former Dean and Judge Edward Weinfeld Professor of Law Emeritus, New York University School of Law; Of counsel, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz

"Mr. Waldman has uncovered a trove of decisions and interactions under the auspices of a
little-known institution, the Israel-Lebanon Monitoring Group which, during the brief period of its existence, provided useful insights for international lawyers interested in conflict
management."
- Thomas M. Franck, Murray and Ida Becker Professor of Law and former Director, Center
for International Studies, New York University School of Law.