Emotional State Theory: Friendship and Fear in Israeli Foreign Policy

This book develops “emotional state theory” as a new contribution to international relations theory (IR). The text addresses the State of Israel vis-à-vis the rest of the world. The rationale for this research perspective stems from the trajectory of Israeli state-building since its foundation in May 1948 to the present date. This trajectory is constructed reflecting the trauma of the past and dreams about the future. Both contribute decisively to a better understanding of the current image and position of the state of Israel. The reference builds on two great Jewish thinkers’ works, Theodor Herzl and his book The Jewish State and Sigmund Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams. The author argues that despite the fact that both never met, taken together their ideas lend themselves to shed light on and offer an explanation for Israel’s troubled and uncertain position in current international relations. The resulting question underlying this work on the emotionality of states and its impact on international relations is therefore “whether Israel is still in a process of dreaming” and whether it is therefore to be understood a “state which has not yet woken from the trauma of the Jewish past. Not a dream’s fulfilment of an end of the Diaspora, but a nightmare based on this experience.” Drawing on these two parallel and rather influential texts, Schilling rephrases the leading questions of this book as this: “Has Israel developed an understanding of itself which sees the country as a modern state among the nations, which is dealing with its neighbors, or rather, does Israel understand itself more as being like a ghetto that is still surrounded by a hostile world? Has Israel become a strong, self-confident country, or has it continued with the nervousness of the Diaspora Jews to become a state with an emotional problem?”.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: Theoretical Framework Chapter 2: Methodological Strategy Chapter 3: Jewish Identity Constructions in Israel Chapter 4: Israeli Foreign Policy Chapter 5: Conclusion

About the Author :
Christopher L. Schilling is political scientist and lawyer.

Review :
Schilling’s theory of Israel’s emotional state is credible. It is backed by psychological and political evidence, and his research and explanations are very thorough. Schilling’s writing is exemplary. The book is easy to read, and his framework is easy to follow. . . .In this book, Schilling helps to foster an understanding of Israel which is especially helpful today as Israel figures so prominently in world affairs. Schilling’s research does contain insights that provide food for thought on some of the undercurrents affecting Israel’s foreign policy. In summary, Schilling’s book provides an interesting analysis of a number of themes that have left their mark on Israeli foreign policy. . . .The book’s main contribution…is in providing analysis on these themes from a therapeutic, and therefore constructive—if not to say constructivist—point of view. One need not be inclined to see this framework as a full-fledged ‘theory’ in order to accept the value of Schilling’s insights. Insofar as critical introspection is valuable for any state wishing to advance, refine, and calibrate its foreign policy to align optimally with its national interests, the points raised by Schilling’s exercise in ‘emotional therapy’ are useful and thought provoking. The analysis of emotions is a most powerful tool to understand the foreign policy of states. In this book, Christopher L. Schilling presents an original study of Israeli foreign policy with tremendous implication to the study of international relations. Emotional State Theory is highly readable, informative, and thought-provoking. Schilling's work will contribute in significant ways to our understanding of the emotional being of states such as Israel. The argument the book presents is based on the fascinating analysis of two predominant emotions—fear and anxiety.