Israel and the World Powers: Diplomatic Alliances and International Relations Beyond the Middle East

Israel's relations - or lack of them - with Muslim countries throughout the Middle East and the Islamic world are subject to repeated analysis and scrutiny in both the media and academia. But what have previously been less examined are Israel's relationships with the rest of world: from the former colonial states of Britain and France to the superpowers of the US and Russia and to emerging and regional powers such as China, India and Brazil. The diplomatic ties between Israel and these various world powers have been determined by numerous factors. A central and dominating one has, of course, been the Israeli-Palestinian and the Israeli-Arab conflicts. Yet since the signing of the Oslo Accords in the mid-1990s, there has been a remarkable development of ties between Israel and the world on many levels - trade, technology, science, security and military hardware. However, the development and strength of these relationships differ from country to country, from historical epoch to historical epoch. Conventionally seen as a state isolated from its Arab neighbours and irrevocably allied with the US, Israel is examined here in the light of efforts to strengthen diplomatic ties with other powers, such as its relationship with post-World War II Germany and the EU. Furthermore, Israel and the World Powers looks at the ways in which, despite the profound intertwining of Israeli and American foreign policy, the US-Israeli relationship hasn't always been an easy one. With most American Jews being broadly of a more liberal bent than the rest of the US, they often support the peace camp in Israel, whereas it is the Christian evangelicals in the US that tend to support the Israeli right. Taking into consideration the fact that relations with Turkey have cooled significantly following the raid on the Gaza flotilla in 2008, Israel has been forced to look even further for support and alliances. It is by looking at Israel's relations with established and rising world powers that this book offers vital analysis for researchers of both Middle East studies and International Relations.

Table of Contents:
Introduction. Colin Shindler Israel and the Imperial Powers Chapter 1: Britain. Neill Lochery Chapter 2: France. Francois Lafon Israel and the Superpowers Chapter 3: USA. David A. Weinberg Chapter 4: Russia. Robert O. Freedman Israel and the Emerging Powers Chapter 5: India. P.R. Kumaraswamy Chapter 6: China. Yitzhak Shichor Israel and the Regional Powers Chapter 7: Israel and the European Union. Raffaella Del Sarto Chapter 8: Israel and Brazil. Sam Feldberg Chapter 9: Israel and South Africa. Sasha Polakow-Suransky Chapter 10: Israel and Japan. Jonathan Goldstein Chapter 11: Israel and Turkey. Amikam Nachmani Chapter 12: Israel and Germany. Michael Wolffsohn Chapter 13: Israel and Australia. Suzanne Rutland

About the Author :
Colin Shindler is Professor in the Department of the Languages and Cultures of the Middle East, SOAS, University of London, UK. He is the author of The Land Beyond Promise: Israel, Likud and the Zionist Dream (2002) and The Triumph of Military Zionism: Nationalism and the Origins of the Israeli Right (2010), both with I.B.Tauris.

Review :
'The State of Israel has been embattled since its birth. The last sixty six years have seen the ebb and flow of the Jewish State's relations or lack of them with the Muslim and Jewish world. But of equal importance have been and continue to be the relations between Israel and the rest of the world and ultimately it may well prove to be that these relations determine the long term viability of the state. This absorbing volume looks at the relations between Israel and the rest of the world - with emerging economic superpowers like India, China and Brazil - former imperial powers such as Britain and France and the current main power brokers - Russia, the European Union and the United States. This compelling book includes essays by the chief scholars in this field and is edited by one of the leading authorities in the area of Israeli Studies.' Professor Tudor Parfitt, Research Professor in the School of International and Public Affairs, Florida International University '[T]his book throws up the complex geopolitical location of Israel in an ever-changing global environment. For a small country, Israel is central to foreign policy making in almost every corner of the world because of its strategic location at the nexus of Europe, Africa and Asia, at the interface between east and west, and at the border of the world's three monotheistic religions. This is a must for anyone trying to understand Israel's role in world politics and global change.' Professor David Newman, Editor of Geopolitics and Dean, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Ben Gurion University