Security in Changing Times: The Future of US-Israel Relation
January 8-9 2012
Hosted by: Academic Exchange in Partnership with the Yitzhak Rabin Center and IDC Herzliya
January 8th
6:00 pm: Drinks
7:00 pm: Dinner
Speaker: Aluf Benn, Editor-in-Chief of Ha’aretz (At IDC)
January 9th
9:00 am: Panel 1 “Re-defining US and Israeli interests in the contemporary world”
Motivating question: Has there been a fundamental change in conceptions of regional interests in either Israel or the US over the last decade? How has Israeli security interests shifted post Arab spring?
US: Mike Mastanduno
Israel: Alex Mintz and Ephraim Kam
10:30 am: Coffee Break
10:45 am: Panel 2 “The Changing nature of foreign policy attitudes in the US and Israel in “hard” economic times”
Motivating Question: Has there been a change in domestic attitudes in the US and/or Israel on the relationship between the two nations because of economic factors?
US: Judith Goldstein and Ed Mansfield
Israel: Tal Sadeh and Asif Efrat
12:30 pm: Lunch
2:00 pm: Panel 3 “The changing nature of domestic politics in Israel and the US: Will this upend the traditional relationship between the two nations?”
Motivating Question: Democratic politics in both Israel and the US has become more polarized over the last decade. What is the effect of these fundamental shifts in the electorate on foreign policy aspirations and outcomes?
US: Ken Schultz and Lisa Martin
Israel: Amnon Cavari
3:30 pm: Coffee Break
4:00 pm: Panel 4 “Perceptions and Misperceptions of the US-Israel relationship”
Motivating Question: The changing nature of international and domestic politics has made foreign policy making more complex around the world but especially in the Middle East. In part, the parties have had a difficult time not only in assessing their own interests but also the interests of their traditional allies. Democratization, political polarization, market instability in Europe and Asia, and changing ideational conceptions of the world has all made it more difficult to conduct diplomacy. What does this portend for the future?
US: Peter Gourevitch
Israel: Yoram Haftel and Yotam Margalit
7:00 pm: Dinner
Speaker: Dr. Eran Lerman or Prof. Amnon Rubinstein and wrap-up (At IDC)