A Young, Determined Saudi Heir

The Saudi royal family is undergoing a period of change, a process that gathered steam after the recent visit by US President Donald Trump. The visit demonstrated to the Saudis that they have the support of the US, something they did not get from the last president. The naming of the king's son as the new heir to the throne represents both the reform process itself and its growing momentum.

Israeli Security and Enemy Rationality

The utility of Israel's nuclear strategy will ultimately depend on accurate assessments of enemy rationality. In this connection, the military planners in Tel Aviv must determine if an adversarial leadership is predictably rational, irrational, or "mad," and whether a calculated posture of "pretended irrationality" could sometimes benefit Israel.

Modi Is Coming to Jerusalem

The first trip to Israel by an Indian prime minister reflects the significant expansion in relations between the two countries that has taken place since the establishment of full diplomatic relations in 1992. The burgeoning relationship is based on similar strategic agendas and buttressed by extensive defense ties. Modi’s government has shed its predecessors' reservations about regular public discussions regarding India's ties with Israel and has even modified voting patterns at multilateral fora.

Shalom, Modi!

Sarosh Bana
June 30, 2017
Paper No. 514

The first week in July, Narendra Modi will become the first Indian prime minister ever to visit Israel. Start-ups and defense will be high on his agenda.

The Qatar Crisis and China

On June 5, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and several other Sunni Muslim countries suspended their relationships with Qatar, creating one of the worst crises to befall the Muslim Sunni world in a decade. China, the second-largest economy in the world, has an interest in the achievement of a resolution to the crisis, and may have a role to play. It can tell one side “you made your point” and the other “you learned your lesson”. China needs these countries and has a lot to offer them in return.

A Sad Decision That Might Haunt Us All

Government decisions that snub the non-Orthodox denominations of the Jewish faith are not only a matter of identity and morality. They have a direct bearing on national security. One of the foundational aspects of Israel's strategy of survival in a hostile environment is the special relationship with the US, which turn rests on three pillars: a commonality of strategic interests, facing the same threats; an affinity of moral and democratic values; and the organized support of American Jewry. Both the affinity and the Jewish commitment may have been put at risk by decisions that enshrine the monopoly of the Orthodox (in effect, the ultra-Orthodox) interpretation of Judaism in Israeli political life.

On the Future of Jerusalem

A close look at the situation in eastern Jerusalem reveals contradictory movements: radical Islamicization vs. closer integration with Jewish Jerusalem. Both trends on the rise simultaneously. Despite the complicated circumstances, united Jerusalem under exclusive Israeli sovereignty is the key, not an obstacle, to peace and security in the city.

From Osirak to Yongbyon

North Korea is moving forward with its development of an ICBM that can carry a nuclear warhead. Will Pyongyang test it, challenging Washington to strike its nuclear reactor in Yongbyon? If Washington does strike, will Pyongyang choose to react passively as Syria did in 2007, or will it respond by starting a war with South Korean and American forces in the region? Although both sides use militant rhetoric, neither will choose to challenge the other. They will instead upgrade their deterrence capabilities.

Pay for Gazan Electricity? Clarifying the “Israeli Interest”

The electricity crisis in Gaza offers an opportunity for the Israeli government to promote security objectives. It must keep Gaza stable and maintain the separation between the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority and Hamas. The time has come to put an end to the extortion the enemy practices.

Kurdistan: From Referendum to the Road to Independence

On September 25, a referendum will be held on the future of the Kurdistan region of Iraq. The vote will decide whether autonomous Kurdistan should disengage from Iraq and become an independent state or remain within the Iraqi state. The referendum will be the Iraqi Kurds’ first concrete step towards the realization of the more than century-long dream of an independent Kurdish state.

Perspectives Papers