The US-Israeli Campaign Against the ICC

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently issued a stern warning to the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague to stop the chief prosecutor from proceeding with an intended investigation into war crimes allegedly committed by Israel. Pompeo’s warning concerned Israel, but as the US is itself in danger of an ICC investigation into supposed war crimes in Afghanistan, it was meant to send a broader message. Any ICC investigation of Israel and the US would be dangerous, and the allies must use all diplomatic and legal tools at their disposal to fight and delegitimize the prosecutor and the Court.

The Abandonment of the South Lebanon Army: A Moral and a Strategic Failure

With the May 2000 abandonment of the South Lebanon Army, Israel signaled to its regional allies that it is not a reliable mainstay. This influenced the lukewarm response of the Golan Heights Druze to the Israeli offer of citizenship, as well as Israeli decision-making during the Syrian civil war regarding cooperation with Syrian militias in the villages near the Golan border.

US Aid to Israel Is a High-Yield Investment

America and Israel face numerous shared challenges, including terrorism, weapons and nuclear proliferation, cyber warfare, and the spread of radical Islamist ideology. America can consistently depend on the beacon of stability represented by democratic Israel in the turbulent Middle East, where the two countries share the same national and homeland security concerns: the megalomaniacal vision of Iran’s ayatollahs, the threat of Sunni and Shiite Islamic terrorism, and the critical security requirements of vulnerable pro-US Arab regimes. Israel also invests heavily in the American economy and is one of the top 20 suppliers of direct investment in the US.

Israel’s Flight from South Lebanon 20 Years On

Israel’s May 2000 rushed evacuation of its security zone in south Lebanon and the desertion of its longstanding local allies there tarnished the Jewish State’s deterrent posture and helped spark a string of large-scale armed confrontations with Hezbollah (2006), the PLO (the so-called “al-Aqsa Intifada”), and Hamas (2008/9, 2012, 2014). The withdrawal transformed south Lebanon into an ineradicable terror entity that can harass northern Israel at will and expedited Hezbollah’s evolvement into a formidable military power armed with 150,000 rockets and missiles capable of reaching anywhere in Israel. It also dented the IDF’s fighting ethos and operational competence, as illustrated by its lukewarm performance during the Second Lebanon War (2006) and Operation Protective Edge (2014).

China and the Coronavirus Pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic is providing insights into the conduct and thinking of the Chinese leadership, which has far-reaching implications both internally and externally.

The Return to the Era of Spheres of Influence in Eurasia

Emil Avdaliani
May 21, 2020
Paper No. 1575

Geopolitical trends of the last two decades show that pivotal states in Eurasia are working to recreate their zones of influence. In so doing, they are challenging the US, which implies a corresponding challenge to the existing world order. Though Washington will be able to limit some powers’ ambitions, it has few tools with which to hamper the ambitions of Russia, China, and Iran.

Middle Eastern Jewry as a Bridge Between Israel and the Arab World

The drama series Um Haroun (Aaron’s Mother), which tells the story of a Jewish family in Kuwait during the 1940s, suggests that Middle Eastern Jewry could serve as a bridge for coexistence and understanding between Israel and its neighbors. Unfortunately, the series has mainly sparked vituperation in the Arab world.

Israel’s Image on Ramadan TV

Dr. Edy Cohen
May 20, 2020
Paper No. 1573

Muslims around the world are in the middle of celebrating the month-long holiday of Ramadan. This year, several of the television series produced to be aired during the holy month contain surprisingly positive depictions of Jews and Israel, much to the consternation of the Palestinians.

How an Elite IDF Unit Is Mobilizing to Fight Coronavirus

Yaakov Lappin
May 19, 2020
Paper No. 1572

The IDF has assigned a new role to an elite naval commando unit to apply its special skills and training to assist civilians in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

Neo-Jacksonianism: US Foreign Policy at a Historic Crossroads

The American turn toward Jacksonian isolationism could ultimately put it in the difficult position of having to exercise hard power to fill the very gap it created. As rogue elements take the opportunity left by the American retreat to try to impose their maximalist goals on the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean, American foreign policy finds itself at a historic crossroads with little time left in which to act.

Perspectives Papers