The Israeli-Sri Lankan Relationship

Following Indian premier Narendra Singh Modi’s historic visit to Israel in 2017, bilateral relations between India and Israel were elevated into a strategic partnership. But this was not Israel’s first successful diplomatic venture in South Asia. India’s tiny neighbor, Sri Lanka, had a strategic alliance with Israel long before India developed one. During the Cold War era, Sri Lanka was viewed as an Israeli success story in the region.

The Netherlands: The EU’s “New Britain”?

Rauf Baker
March 12, 2021
Paper No. 1961

Amsterdam would like to claim the role once played by London within the EU, but there are challenges in its path—and not all parties see it as a suitable candidate in the first place.

Let the Jewish National Fund Recommit to Its Original Mission

The decision by the new chairman of the Jewish National Fund to continue the Fund’s mission to purchase land throughout the Land of Israel is worthy of praise. There is nothing new in its purchase of land in the West Bank as well, an endeavor that has gone on for more than a century.

Turkey Signals Sweeping Regional Ambitions

A nationalist Turkish television station with close ties to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has dug up a 12-year-old map that projects Turkey’s sphere of influence in 2050 as stretching from southeastern Europe on the northern coast of the Mediterranean and Libya on its southern shore across North Africa, the Gulf, and the Levant into the Caucasus and Central Asia.

The Gara Affair: How Not to Rescue Hostages

Burak Bekdil
March 10, 2021
Paper No. 1958

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan needed a military success story, and the rescue of 13 hostages held by the PKK in northern Iraq would have fit the bill. Unfortunately, the operation was a tragic failure. Erdoğan now accuses the Kurds, Kurdish political parties, opposition parties, and even the Biden administration of responsibility for the disaster.

The Russian FM’s Gulf Tour: A Bellwether of US-Saudi Relations

As Russian FM Sergei Lavrov embarks on a four-day visit to the Gulf, Middle Eastern leaders are either struggling to get a grip on Joe Biden’s recalibration of US policy in the region or signaling their refusal to adapt to the president’s approach.

McConnell, Trump, and the GOP

Lev Stesin
March 9, 2021
Paper No. 1955

Mitch McConnell embodies what it takes to govern, but Donald Trump represents what it takes to win. Separately, however, these archetypes can achieve neither. Yet unity may prove elusive as both sides, even when pursuing the same goals, have personal characteristics that oppose one another.

Israeli Intelligence Cooperation with Arab Allies Thwarts Iranian Terrorism

Erfan Fard
March 8, 2021
Paper No. 1954

The magnitude of the terrorist threat in the Middle East has grown steadily since the outset of the so-called “Arab Spring.” The need to modernize intelligence in the service of counterterrorism is a matter of particular concern to the Persian Gulf states, which share the common goal of impeding the spread of Iran’s transnational terrorist network and reducing the damage caused by Iran-affiliated Shiite militias. The newly formed intelligence cooperation between Israel and several Arab states has already thwarted Iranian attacks.

Israel’s Multifaceted Power

It is far more difficult to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of Israel than it is to do the same for a Western European country. Israel has a great deal of hard and soft power, but it also seriously underperforms in terms of diplomatic power and the combating of anti-Israel propaganda.

The Shiite Crescent: The Middle East’s Arc of Crisis

Iran’s hegemonic ambitions depend on an unbroken Shiite arc from Bahrain to Lebanon. It is for this reason that the Islamist regime considers the maintenance of its influence in Syria to be a top priority. If Iran is to be prevented from projecting its totalitarian imperialism throughout the region and beyond, it will have to lose its foothold in Syria.

Perspectives Papers