Strategic Assessment

The Israeli government that will emerge from the January 2003 general elections is likely to face a wide array of challenges and opportunities. The most immediate of these concerns the possibility that a U.S.-led military campaign against Iraq will prompt an Iraqi ballistic missile attack on Israel. If this occurs, the new Israeli government will face a highly complex set of considerations. At the same time, a war in the Gulf might create a regional environment that – if met by an astute, creative Israeli response – may be safer and more secure from Israel’s standpoint.