MVZ244 U.S. Foreign Policy Towards Israel

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2018
Extent and Intensity
1/1. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
Aaron Walter, MBA, Ph.D. (lecturer), PhDr. Petr Suchý, Ph.D. (deputy)
Guaranteed by
PhDr. Petr Suchý, Ph.D.
Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Olga Cídlová, DiS.
Supplier department: Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Thu 20. 9. 14:00–15:40 U33, Thu 27. 9. 14:00–15:40 U33, Thu 4. 10. 14:00–15:40 U33, Thu 11. 10. 14:00–15:40 U33, Thu 18. 10. 14:00–15:40 U33, Thu 25. 10. 14:00–15:40 U33, Thu 1. 11. 14:00–15:40 P21, Thu 8. 11. 14:00–15:40 U33, Thu 15. 11. 14:00–15:40 U33, Thu 22. 11. 14:00–15:40 U33, Thu 29. 11. 14:00–15:40 U33, Thu 6. 12. 14:00–15:40 U33, Thu 13. 12. 14:00–15:40 U33
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 40 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/40, only registered: 0/40
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 17 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives (in Czech)
Course Objectives This course aims to provide the student with an in‐depth understanding of major themes, his-torical events, and personalities in American‐Israeli relations. Throughout the term, we will dis-cuss the nature of America’s “special and strategic relationship” with Israel; U.S. arms sales and foreign aid to Israel; the roles of various ‘lobbies’, and public opinion; and U.S. mediation efforts in Arab‐Israeli peacemaking. You will become familiar with the key players and issues, as well as with the complexities of U.S. diplomatic efforts in the Middle East. The course is intended to provide students with the tools needed to follow with a critical eye day‐to‐day events in the Middle East The structure of the course is simple and concise. An initial overview of a topic will be followed by interesting case studies, focused on key episodes in the evolution of US foreign policy towards Israel. Many of these studies center upon crisis situations, which tested the relationship and redefined it. After these case studies, discussion on some controversial contemporary aspects of the subject will occur. It is important to emphasize what this course is not. It is not a course on the Arab-Israeli conflict or the peace process. Finally, as students you will upon completion: 1. Analyze selected contemporary policy issues using knowledge of theory, history and the political process. 2. Demonstrate research, analytical, writing, and presentation skills. Learning Outcomes By the end of the term, you should be: 1. Thoroughly familiar with the key issues and themes of U.S. foreign policy and in particular foreign policy towards Israel. 2. Able to identify seminal events, their implications, and the personalities associated with them. 3. Able to critically assess the nature of America’s “special and strategic relationship” with Israel.
Syllabus (in Czech)
  • Course Overview The course will examine the continuity and the changes in U.S. foreign policy toward Israel. Briefly, the evolution of U.S. relations with Israel, from President Truman’s controversial decision to recognize the Jewish state in 1948 to America’s role as Israel’s greatest supporter in the world today. The course will examine key milestones, including President Truman’s controversial decision to against advice from the U.S. foreign policy establishment and formally recognize the state of Israel; the wartime American airlift in 1973; the U.S. role in Arab-Israeli peacemaking, from Secretary of State Henry Kissinger’s shuttle diplomacy to the two Camp David summits; and the U.S. role in providing military, economic, and diplomatic aid to the Jewish state. Specifically related to foreign policy: what factors explain foreign policy decision-making towards Israel? What impact do U.S. presidents have in shaping the foreign policy? And how do foreign policy crises impact decision-making towards Israel? The course will analyze throughout how a combination of domestic political, and strategic factors have led to the formation of a unique bilateral relationship characterized by both tight bonds and inherent tensions. Secondary Readings The course seeks to relate both contemporary and historical issues, therefore students are ex-pected to stay current by reading relevant online news: Times of Israel: http://www.timesofisrael.com Jerusalem Post: http://www.jpost.com New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com Wall Street Journal: http://www.wsj.com Fathom: http://fathomjournal.org Tablet: http://tabletmag.com Required Readings For this course, the readings will range widely. There is no textbook. Also, I have selected journal articles, taken from a wide range of authors, so students will have read something by most of the recognized authorities in this field. There are also several documentary films and video clips of presentations by key figures too. Additional articles and video clips may be added by the instructor. Online Readings by theme: Background Samuel W. Lewis, “The United States and Israel: Evolution of an Unwritten Alliance,” Middle East Journal, Vol. 53, No. 3 (Summer, 1999), pp. 364-78. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4329351 Yaacov Bar-Siman-Tov, “The United States and Israel since 1948: A ‘Special Relationship’?” Diplomatic History, Vol. 22, No. 2 (Spring 1988), pp. 231–262. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1111/1467-7709.00115 America’s View of Israel Walter Russell Mead, “The New Israel and the Old: Why Gentiles Back the Jewish State,” Foreign Affairs, July-August 2008, pp. 28-46. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20032714 President Truman and Recognizing Israel Bruce J. Evensen, “Truman, Palestine and the Cold War,” Middle Eastern Studies, Vol. 28, No. 1 (Jan., 1992), pp. 120-156. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4283481 Allis and Ronald Radosh discuss their book A Safe Haven, C-SPAN, July 14, 2009, http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=yU248hUV3-I. Conflicts George Ball. “The Coming Crisis in Israeli-American Relations. https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/israel/1979-12-01/coming-crisis-israeli-american-relations Special and Strategic Relations Douglas Little, “The Making of a Special Relationship: The United States and Israel, 1957-68,” International Journal of Middle East Studies, Vol. 25, No. 4 (Nov., 1993), pp. 563-585. http:// www.jstor.org/stable/164535 Mordechai Gazit, “The Genesis of the US-Israeli Military-Strategic Relationship and the Dimona Issue,” Journal of Contemporary History, Vol. 35, No. 3 (Jul., 2000), pp. 413-422. http:// www.jstor.org/stable/261028 Relations during war William B. Quandt, “Lyndon Johnson and the June 1967 War: What Color Was the Light?” Middle East Journal, Vol. 46, No. 2 (Spring, 1992), pp. 198-228. http://www.jstor.org/stable/ 4328430 “USS Liberty: Dead In The Water,” BBC Documentary, 2002. http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=kjOH1XMAwZA Boaz Vanetik and Zaki Shalom, “The White House Middle East Policy in 1973 as a Catalyst for the Outbreak of the Yom Kippur War,” Israel Studies, Vol. 16, No. 1 (Spring 2011), pp. 53-78. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2979/ISR.2011.16.1.53 Zeev Schiff, “The Green Light,” Foreign Policy, No. 50 (Spring, 1983), pp. 73-85. http:// www.jstor.org/stable/1148281 David A. Welch, “The Politics and Psychology of Restraint: Israeli Decision-Making in the Gulf War,” International Journal, Vol. 47, No. 2 (Spring, 1992), pp. 328-369 http://www.jstor.org/ sta-ble/40202763 Relations during peace Kenneth W. Stein, Heroic Diplomacy: Sadat, Kissinger, Carter, Begin, and the Quest for Arab- Israel Peace (New York: Routledge, 1999), read author’s view of book by President Carter: http://www.meforum.org/1633/my-problem-with-jimmy-carters-book William B. Quandt, “Camp David and Peacemaking in the Middle East,” Political Science Quar-terly, Vol. 101, No. 3 (1986), pp. 357-377. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2151620 Mitchell Bard, “Interest Groups, the President, and Foreign Policy: How Reagan Snatched Victory from the Jaws of Defeat On AWACS,” Presidential Studies Quarterly, Vol. 18, No. 3 (Summer 1988), pp. 583-600. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40574500 Yehuda Avner, “An inept attempt at a flawed peace,” Jerusalem Post, December 2, 2008. http:// www.jpost.com/LandedPages/PrintArticle.aspx?id=122586 Stuart E. Eizenstat, “Loving Israel. Warts and All,” Foreign Policy, No. 81 (Winter, 1990-1991), pp. 87-105. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1148810 A Foreign Policy of Support Without Limits Scott Lasensky, “Paying for Peace: The Oslo Process and the Limits of American Foreign Aid,” Middle East Journal, Vol. 58, No. 2 (Spring, 2004), pp. 210-234. http://www.jstor.org/stable/ 4330002 “Elusive Peace: Israel and the Arabs,” PBS Documentary, http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=50ZktlbxsgY Guy Ben-Porat, “Netanyahu’s Second Coming: A Neoconservative Policy Paradigm?”Israel Studies, Vol. 10, No. 3 (Fall, 2005), pp. 225-45. http://www.jstor.org/stable/30245773 The lobby debate John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt, “The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy,” Middle East Policy, Vol. 13, No. 3 (Fall 2006), pp. 29-87. http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/pdf/ 10.1111/j.1475-4967.2006.00260.x John J. Mearsheimer, Stephen M. Walt, Aaron Friedberg, Dennis Ross, Shlomo Ben-Ami and Zbigniew Brzezinski, “The War over Israel’s Influence,” Foreign Policy, No. 155 (Jul. - Aug. 2006), pp. 56-66. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25462064 Robert C. Lieberman, “The ‘Israel Lobby’ and American Politics,” Perspectives on Politics, Vol. 7, No. 2 (June 2009), pp. 235-57. http://www.sipa.columbia.edu/news_events/newsletter/ docu-ments/Liebermanexchange-TheIsraelLobbyandAmericanPolitics.pdf Asset or Liability? Efraim Inbar, “Israel: An Enduring Union,” Journal of International Security Affairs, No. 11 (Fall 2006), pp. 7-13. http://www.biu.ac.il/Besa/efraim_inbar/enduring.pdf Robert D. Blackwill and Walter B. Slocombe, Israel: A Strategic Asset for the United States, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Nov. 2011. http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/ up-loads/Documents/pubs/Blackwill-Slocombe_Report.pdf “Israel: Asset or Liability? A Debate on the Value of the US-Israel Relationship, Robert Satloff vs. Chas Freeman,” The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, http:// www.washingtoninstitute.org/uploads/Documents/pubs/SatloffDebate.pdf Martin Kramer, “The American Interest,” Azure, No. 26 (2006), pp. 21-33. http:// scholar.harvard.edu/martinkramer/files/americaninterest.pdf 21st Century U.S. foreign policy towards Israel Dov Waxman, “The Real Problem in US-Israeli Relations,” The Washington Quarterly, Vol. 35, No. 2 (Spring 2012), pp. 71-87. http://csis.org/files/publication/twq12springwaxman.pdf Aaron David Miller, “The U.S., Israel and American Jews: A Negotiator Looks Back,” New York University, April 15, 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP4VV1InjdY Itamar Rabinovich, “Israel and America: Where We Stand Now,” New York University, April 22, 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLnkESDOrm0 Haim Malka, Crossroads: The Future of the U.S.-Israel Strategic Partnership, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Sep. 16, 2001. http://csis.org/files/publication/ 110908_Malka_CrossroadsUSIsrael_Web.pdf Aaron David Miller, “Warning: Turbulence Ahead,” Foreign Policy, July 25, 2012. http:// www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/07/25/warning_turbulence_ahead Amy Davidson, “A Bad Day in American-Israeli Relations. http://www.newyorker.com/news/amy-davidson/a-bad-day-in-american-israeli-relations Elliott Abrams on the New Government and Israel-US Relations. Read more at http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/39325/elliott-abrams-on-the-new-government-and-israel-us-relations-israel-radio/#mOVY2pBfAVdkzWLD.99
Assessment methods (in Czech)
Grading: • 15 percent of the grade is determined by class (and possibly on-line) participation. • 20 percent of the grade is determined by a short mid-term. • 65 percent of the grade is determined by a final paper, the topic of which you will choose in consultation with me.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
The course is taught annually.
Listed among pre-requisites of other courses
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2015, Autumn 2016, Autumn 2017, Autumn 2019.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2018, recent)
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