Mideast Security and Policy Studies

Mideast Security and Policy Studies serve as a forum for publication or re-publication of research conducted by BESA Center research associates.

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Hamas: A Social Welfare Government or War Machine?

Hamas prides itself on having a reputation dedicated to the public welfare of Palestinians and for providing a variety of social services. The following study evaluates the veracity of this claim. The Hamas government in Gaza acts as another case study that highlights the disastrous leadership which plagued the Palestinian national movement since its inception.

“Deterrence Campaigns”: Lessons from IDF Operations in Gaza

This study examines the major gaps in strategic and operative approaches regarding Deterrence Campaigns. It focuses on military operations in Gaza.

Israel’s Role in the Struggle over the Iranian Nuclear Project

Washington now seeks to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, while Jerusalem seeks to prevent it from having the capability to produce nuclear weapons. Israel should keep doing everything it can to prevent a bad deal with Iran, up to the very last second.

Obama: The Reluctant Realist

Contrary to the assertion that Barack Obama’s foreign policy lacks direction or ideological basis, Prof. David argues the president’s foreign policy can be explained as adhering very closely to traditional realist theory.

Changing Japanese Defense Policies

East Asia is gradually facing numerous volatile security issues. Japan is reacting to this growing environment through constitutional reinterpretations, that entail a rational progression towards the use of armed forces in order to meet security challenges.

Israel’s Air and Missile Defense During the 2014 Gaza War

The Israeli Air Defense Command deployed an efficient defense array against the rocket launchers in the last operation in the Gaza Strip. The operation also uncovered the gaps in the Israeli defense system that require corrective actions.

The Ties Between Israel and Azerbaijan

Since gaining independence in 1991, Azerbaijan has emerged as one of Israel’s closest friends in the Muslim world. Israeli-Azerbaijani ties have expanded to include oil and weapon supplies, as well as cooperation in information technology, medicine, water purification and agriculture.

The New Strategic Equation in the Eastern Mediterranean

For centuries, the Mediterranean Sea was the main arena for international interactions, before it was replaced by the Atlantic Ocean and subsequently by the Pacific. Nevertheless, as the historical meeting place between East and West, the East Mediterranean was the focus of significant superpower competition during the Cold War and still has strategic significance.

The Myth of Palestinian Centrality

The “Palestinian cause” has been at the forefront of discourse on the Middle East for nearly a century. It has long formed the primary common concern of pan-Arab solidarity and its most effective rallying cry, yet neither the Arab states nor Palestinian leaders have truly acted in the interest of the “liberation of Palestine.”

Israel and Kazakhstan: Assessing the State of Bilateral Relations

Economic, cultural, political, military and strategic interests (including the confronting of Iran) undergird the three-decade-old and growing relationship between Israel and Kazakhstan