BESA’s Top Ten of 2020

BESA Center
January 6, 2021
Paper No. 1871

During 2020, the BESA Center consolidated its position as the globally most widely read Israeli think tank in its field, with page views growing twofold to nearly 3.5 million. Below are the ten most widely read articles published in 2020. The selections reflect strong reader interest in the COVID-19 pandemic and its origin, great-power rivalries, and Israel’s national security and relations with the Arab world.

Whither the Iran Nuclear Deal?

The incoming Biden administration is keen to return to the nuclear deal with Iran, provided it contains “some amendments.” This is in contrast to the Europeans, who are mostly willing to return to the agreement as it stands. The director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is demanding that a new nuclear agreement be signed, or at least that the previous agreement be changed in such a way as to prevent Iran from achieving nuclear break-out.

After Political Partition Between the PA and Hamas’s Gaza, Now Economic Boycott

Israel has been increasingly successful at confronting its foes one on one. The Palestinians have not operated against Israel as a united force since 2007, and the threat of a Hamas boycott of PA goods might be deepening the divide between the two even further.

The Swamp Returns to Washington

The incoming Biden administration has begun to appoint personnel and articulate policies, both directly and through the extended voice of the foreign policy establishment and the media. The return of second-tier Obama administration personnel and the marginalization of left-wing progressives portends a return to the process-laden policies of the past. International agreements and institutions, and a return to 20th century “rules” and “norms”, are unlikely to be adequate to confront rogue states like China and Iran.

Saudi Arabia vs. the Muslim Brotherhood

A dispute over the role of religion in government constitutes the main rift in the world of Sunni Islam. This controversy also defines the two main camps in that world with regard to Western countries in general and Israel in particular.

Is America’s Fourth Estate in Foreclosure?

The modern American usage of the term “fourth estate” refers to the press as a free power, and even as a watchdog over the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the US government. Today, however, it is the watchdog that needs watching.

A Serious Moral Failure at Yad Vashem

The public discourse on the issue of replacing the director of Yad Vashem indicates that the institution no longer presents the Holocaust as a unique phenomenon and the most horrible enactment of antisemitism to have ever occurred, but as a crime against humanity that could occur in any society whose values are not liberal, including Israel. Yad Vashem, which was designed to perpetuate the memory of the Holocaust and its victims, now trumpets the values of European liberalism—the very values that paved the way to a crime like no other in world history.

Yad Vashem at a Crossroads

Neither the man nor his kippah are the basis for the opposition to the appointment of Brig. Gen. (res.) and former minister Effi Eitam as chairman of Yad Vashem. At issue is the place of the Holocaust in both contemporary Jewish identity and Israel’s historical narrative.

The US and Israel Prepare for Iranian Revenge

Moments before Donald Trump leaves the White House, Iran may try to avenge the killing of Qassem Soleimani and Mohsen Fakhrizadeh. The Gulf States are prepared, and they expect American protection.

Sri Lanka’s Trading Policy Options in the Era of COVID-19

The unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has made it more critical for small island nations like Sri Lanka to balance their commerce policies with their interdependency on neighboring Asia-Pacific nations.

Perspectives Papers