Uri Bialer lays a foundation for understanding the principal aspects of Israeli foreign policy from the early days of the state's existence to the Oslo Accords. He presents a synthetic reading of sources, many of which are recently declassified official documents, to cover Israeli foreign policy over a broad chronological expanse. Bialer focuses on the objectives of Israel's foreign policy and its actualization, especially as it concerned immigration policy, oil resources, and the procurement of armaments. In addition to identifying important state actors, Bialer highlights the many figures who had no defined diplomatic roles but were influential in establishing foreign policy goals. He shows how foreign policy was essential to the political, economic, and social well-being of the state and how it helped to deal with Israel's most intractable problem, the resolution of the conflict with Arab states and the Palestinians.

About the Author

Uri Bialer is Emeritus Professor of International Relations and holds the Maurice B. Hexter Chair in International Relations-Middle Eastern Studies at The Hebrew University. He is author of Cross on the Star of David.

Reviews

Bialer's book is an important compass for those standing on deck during this time of change, and a most useful theoretical framework for those who follow it from the ivory tower.

-- Ehud Eiran * Strategic Assessment *

Every so often, one comes across a new piece of scholarship that makes a signal contribution to our knowledge on a given subject. Such is the case with Uri Bialer's book on Israeli foreign policy....Bialer's book is highly recommended for all those interested in the fundamentals of Israel's foreign policy, and it will almost certainly become a standard work on the subject.

-- Alfred Tovias * Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs *

A major book on Israel's foreign policy during the first 40 years of its independence.

-- Chalom Schirman * Politique etrangere *

Internationally renowned historian of Israel's foreign relations, Uri Bialer provides a fundamental volume that studies the path of the Jewish state's foreign policy from its birth in 1948 to the Oslo accords in 1993.

-- Antonio Donno * Nuova Storia Contemporanea *

Excellent and well-researched Israeli Foreign Policy: A People Shall Not Dwell Alone, provides any reader with an intelligent appraisal of landmarks in the history of Israel. It relies on fact and expertise - more public reality than public relations.

-- Colin Shindler * The Jerusalem Post *

If one seeks to learn about how the Jewish state has deployed its foreign policy for the benefit of the country, Bialer's book serves as a first-rate guide to this inquiry. It is sur to become a standard work on Israeli foreign policy for a long time to come.

-- David Rodman * Israel Affairs *

No single volume can correct the record with regard to how Israeli foreign policy is developed and executed. A good place to start, however, is Uri Bialer's overview of Israeli foreign policy, a single address for the student and layperson interested in the history, dynamics and challenges of Israel's efforts to secure its place among the family of nations.

-- David Kurtzer * Israel Studies *

Bialer's study provides a needed corrective to an American historiography that has been disproportionately preoccupied with questions surrounding the genesis and rationale of the special relationship between the United States and Israel. The strategic partnership between the two countries has undoubtedly been at the center of both Israeli and American geopolitical calculations in the region for the past six decades, but it is all too often portrayed as a patron-client relationship, whereby Israel as the junior partner is given little agency in defining the contours of the strategic partnership.

-- Sonja Wentling, Concordia College Moorhead * H-Diplo *

In his new and fascinating book, Uri Bialer examines Israel's confrontation in the international arena with some of the major challenges that have stood and still stand at its gates.

-- Shlomo Avineri, former Director-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs * Haaretz *

Israeli Foreign Policy provides a wealth of information and sophisticated analysis by an author with masterful command of the literature. It is highly recommended for anyone interested in how Israel has met tremendous international challenges.

-- Efraim Inbar * Middle East Forum *

Israeli Foreign Policy provides a rich synopsis of Israel's foreign relations that will serve well scholars and students of this topic, Middle Eastern studies, and diplomacy in general in the coming years.

-- Ziv Rubinovitz * Journal of Contemporary History *

Israeli Foreign Policy: A People Shall Not Dwell Alone could be considered one of the most nuanced pieces of literature on the subject. The richness, both in terms of its contents and arguments, clearly reflects the indefatigable enthusiasm and passion of the author to dive deeper into a much researched and discussed subject.

-- Alvite Ningthoujam * Contemporary Review of the Middle East *

Uri Bialer is one of the founding fathers of the field of Israeli diplomatic history. As such, he has published several books and over 30 articles on a variety of topics ranging from Israel's oil diplomacy, relations with the Christian world, and strategic relations with Iran as well as Cold War orientation in the 1950s. His new book covers most of these topics. Beyond that, in essence, the book promises to provide fresh perspectives on some of these issues and thus to become a textbook of Israel's diplomatic history accessible to students, policy-makers, and non-experts.

-- Dr. Eldad Ben Aharon * Diplomacy and Statecraft *

[Israeli Foreign Policy] will appeal to a wide audience of military, diplomatic and country specialist scholars, and will be sure to generate further discussion.

-- Matthew Hughes * Middle Eastern Studies *


Awards
Winner of Chaikin Award 2020 (Israel).



Book Information
ISBN 9780253046208
Author Uri Bialer
Format Hardback
Page Count 370
Imprint Indiana University Press
Publisher Indiana University Press
Weight(grams) 712g