A Good Argument: Tested Tools for Divisive Times

In a world of increasingly fractious debate and seemingly irreconcilable differences, whether at the level of public political discourse or in the much-reported culture wars, this book makes an unheard case for argument as a force for good.

Daniel Taub was a lead negotiator in the Israel-Palestine peace process and then served as Israel’s ambassador to the UK, and in this new book he pulls together telling insights from being at the table for some of the world’s most fraught negotiations, applied hints and tips from the lectures and Difficult Conversations labs he now presents at universities and businesses in Israel, the US and the UK. This is all underpinned by a deep understanding of Jewish thought which, he argues, holds the key to a completely different understanding of how a good argument should develop the thinking of all those involved, and can lead to harmony rather than discord.

This is an intriguing popular non-fiction title with much for all of us to learn from Daniel’s diplomatic and political insights, his negotiation techniques, and from his repackaging of ancient wisdom presented in a readily comprehensible form. Comparisons include Jonathan Haidt, Simon Sinek, David Brooks.

Daniel Taub is a diplomat and international lawyer who has represented Israel in peace negotiations with its neighbors and in many international forums. He lectures widely about conflict resolution in foreign ministries and universities around the world. He is an accredited mediator and runs difficult conversation laboratories bringing together participants from different ideological backgrounds.

A popular lecturer on biblical texts, Taub is the author of Parasha Diplomatit, a book of diplomatic insights on the Bible. He has written drama for Israel television and theatre (The Rebbe’s Court, Last Night in Florence) and for the London stage (Winner’s Curse). His articles have appeared in The Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian and the Huffington Post, and he has been interviewed on the BBC, Sky, and CNN. He lives in Jerusalem with his wife Zehava. They have six children.