In recent years the phenomenon of war has been commonly divided into symmetrical warfare and asymmetrical warfare. Notwithstanding new semantics, however, there is nothing new about this division, which represents the two principal interrelated components of war and therefore demands ongoing professional study. Confrontations between countries are liable to develop into symmetrical conventional wars, and at the same time or in their wake, a confrontation with asymmetrical properties can ensue. The transition from fighting a...
Before embarking on Operation Cast Lead, the IDF and the defense establishment held many discussions about the need for military action in the Gaza Strip and the strategic objective of such an action in the event it would in fact occur. These discussions were held in light of the sharply worded recommendations of the Winograd Commission.
Every state defines its basic self interests and what in its mind constitutes existential threats. On the basis of these definitions, the state formulates the relevant responses, whether military, diplomatic, economic, or other, to events and developments. For years, the Israeli military response relied on three basic principles: deterrence, warning, and decision. The three principles implied that Israel must deter the Arab states from starting wars. Should deterrence fail, then Israel’s intelligence must supply a timely...
On August 12, 2006, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1701, paving the way for the end of 34 days of warfare between Israel and Hizbollah, a campaign later named the Second Lebanon War. Apart from the immediate need to establish a ceasefire, the Security Council hoped to change the security reality in southern Lebanon while neutralizing the elements that were responsible for the escalation, and prevent the repetition of another round of fighting between the sides. Accordingly, certain security arrangements were put in place,...
This essay analyzes the main changes that have occurred in the strategic arena, especially the rising influence of the delegitimization campaign on the deployment of military force. The essay claims that in light of these changes the IDF must formulate a comprehensive strategy to coordinate force buildup and force deployment, and thereby allow an effective confrontation with the complex challenges facing the nation.
I would like to briefly discuss three points: the history and nature of technological cooperation between the US and Israeli armed forces; the issue of Israeli military export; and US military aid to Israel.
An analysis of the different characteristics of global and regional conflicts indicates the following five mega-trends. First is the transition from a unipolar to a multi-polar world due to dramatic economic, military, and political changes. The second is related to globalization and the potential inherent in globalization to exercise violence and terrorism by rogue countries and radical elements. The third trend is the rise of radical Islam concomitant with the weakening of the Arab Sunni state. The fourth is signified by the...
The United States presence, purpose, and engagement in the Middle East are in keeping with American national aspirations. One unique phenomenon in that US Central Command has responsibility for the entire region except Israel, which is still under European Command. Nonetheless, the goal for both major commands is to work with other national agencies and with US partners, allies, and colleagues in the region to try to promote stability and security. The bottom line is that this has not changed in years.
Wars are difficult and traumatic, and as such, their impact goes well beyond their immediate time frame and the people directly involved. In this sense, the Second Lebanon War is not unusual. In hindsight, and in light of the thoughtful analyses presented at this conference, it seems that the most prominent phenomenon about the Second Lebanon War is the fact that it was a watershed – a pivotal moment in which different processes ceased, accelerated, or significantly changed direction. This is true at the personal level regarding the...
In the three years since the Second Lebanon War there has been absolute calm on the northern border, the likes of which no one can remember since the 1970s. This reality was purchased with the lives of civilians and soldiers who fell in battle, with the pain of the injured, both soldiers and civilians, and with the cost of those whose lives were destroyed and who bear the scars and wounds of that war to this day. My heart goes out to them.
It is very difficult to analyze and understand the Second Lebanon War without understanding how the IDF entered it. By this I am not referring to the moment the decision was made to attack on July 12, 2006, rather to the processes that occurred in the years leading up to the war. In this context, it is necessary to try to understand the fields where the military was focusing its endeavors, the topics with which the army was dealing, and the outlook of the IDF’s leadership at that time. It is necessary to focus on two central,...
The following article touches on seven points that are conclusions of sorts from three central military episodes of recent years: Operation Defensive Shield in the West Bank in April 2002, the Second Lebanon War, and Operation Cast Lead. A comparison of these events allows us to formulate general conclusions relevant to similar events in the future. Six of the issues refer primarily to the past and the present, but have ramifications for the future. The seventh is an attempt to assess what would happen should a Third Lebanon War...
