Trust is possible among bitter enemies.

• Position: Worldview; Building Trust: Overcoming Suspicion in International Conflict - Book review

It is possible to establish trust among the world's oldest and most bitter enemies, contends a political science professor from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., in Building Trust: Overcoming Suspicion in International Conflict.

Aaron M. Hoffman examines how American, Middle Eastern, and European governments overcame their suspicion of one another and fostered trust at pivotal moments in their relationships. These include the Constitutional convention that originally launched the U.S., creation of the Single European Act that set the course for the European Union, and negotiations between Israel and Jordan over water resources in the Middle East.

While many authorities focus on resolving tensions gradually, Hoffman says that step-by-step diplomacy often results in arm's-length cooperation only. The problem is that incremental approaches do not require the parties to sacrifice enough when the stakes are relatively low to reassure each other as the stakes increase. Instead, countries that overcome their suspicion of one another successfully do so by tackling security issues first. Hoffman indicates that the formative period of the European Community, now known as the European Union, is a case in point.

"Early on, France, Germany, and other member-states cooperated uneasily," Hoffman points out...