Section: Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies (Israel)
The US National Security Document and the Return of Geopolitics to Eurasia
Globe image via pxhere.comBESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 764, March 9, 2018 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The new National Security Strategy of the US enumerates the major problems and challenges facing the US and its institutions, as well as the policies Washington plans to adopt to carry out its foreign policy agenda. Though the major thrusts of the...
The Myth of Russian Weakness
Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Image source: kremlin.ru)BESA Perspectives, No. 757, March 2, 2018 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Western-centric expectations of Russian collapse in the face of its recent foreign policy and domestic setbacks fail to consider the Russian mindset, political culture, and “rules of the game,” thus grossly underestimating the...
Russia’s Eurasian Disunion
Vladimir Putin, Kazakhstan Pres. Nursultan Nazarbayev, and Belarus Pres. Alexander Lukashenko after signing Treaty on Eurasian Economic Union, photo via Office of President of RussiaBESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 732, February 5, 2018 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: When the Eurasian Economic Union (aka the Eurasian Union) was unveiled in early 2015, it...
US Allies Should Back President Trump
Donald Trump, photo by Gage Skidmore via Flickr CCBESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 726, January 28, 2018 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Donald J. Trump is facing unprecedented criticism one year into his term as president of the world’s greatest power. The allies of the US can assist him by making clear how much he has advanced American foreign...
Ten Tips for Israel when Negotiating with Saudi Arabia and the Arab World
Dove of peace, image by VimeoBESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 697, December 24, 2017 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Speculation is rife about the possibility of normalizing relations between Israel and the nations of the Arabian Peninsula (Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, and Qatar). If such negotiations do take place, the Israeli government will need to...
Trump Should Aid Czech President Zeman in Fighting the “Munich Attitude”
Milos Zeman, photo via Wikimedia CommonsBESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 694, December 20, 2017 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: In a December 6, 2016 telephone conversation, then President-Elect Donald Trump and Czech President Milos Zeman agreed to meet in April 2017 – but the visit appears to have been indefinitely postponed. This is unwise. Zeman, like...
Russia’s Unlikely Withdrawal from Syria
Russian soldier with PKM machine gun (Modernizirovanniy Pulemyot Kalashnikova), image via Wikimedia CommonsBESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 636, November 7, 2017 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Moscow’s intervention in the Syrian civil war boosted the reputation of the Russian military, afforded it valuable training, and enhanced Moscow’s...
The Puzzle of the North Korean ICBM
Kim Jong-un with alleged miniaturized thermonuclear device, screen capture from YouTube video by Right WingBESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 634, November 5, 2017 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Uncertainty remains about North Korea’s technological maturity and ability to launch nuclear warheads that could hit the US homeland, even after its recent...
Between the Iranian Threat and the Palestinian State Threat
Making Palestine map, photo by AL Eyad via Flickr CC BESA Center Perspectives No. 621, October 20, 2017 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: In his recent visit to Washington and speech to the UN, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu focused his diplomatic efforts on the Iranian threat. Meanwhile, as President Trump looks for a breakthrough on the Palestinian...
The Militia Option in Syria
Free Syrian Army rebels take up positions against Assad militias on the outskirts of Maraat al-Numan, Idlib, Syria, image via Syria Freedom House Flickr CCBESA Center Perspectives No. 616, October 16, 2017 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The war in Syria has focused attention on the role of militia forces. Although we may see the phenomenon as entirely...
