From Periphery to the Moderates: Israeli Identity and Foreign Policy in the Middle East

What is it about?

This article investigates one of Israel's key assumptions about its place in the Middle East, namely the idea of the existence of a moderate Arab bloc, in a broader historical and political context. It draws a direct line between this conception and the previous regional security conception that had guided Israel in previous years, namely the Periphery Doctrine. It then suggests that we could better understand shifts in Israel's security conceptions if we take into account Israel's identity as a factor affecting its policy-making.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

This article builds upon the increasing reliance on the link between identity and policy-making to shed a different light on Israel's foreign policy-making. This becomes essential at times when Israel is once again revising its foreign policy conceptions.