The global international system which President Clinton encountered when he entered the White House on January 20, 1993, was fundamentally differentג€”in terms of structure, the rules of the game and the nature and characteristics of its main powersג€”from the bipolar-confrontational system, which had been consolidated during the Cold War era. For forty years (excluding a brief interlude at the beginning of the Carter Presidency), American policy in the Middle East had been patterned on the belief that international crises were...
Contrary to its historical role of constraining successive administrations and limiting the range of measures contemplated or implemented by the US vis-à-vis Israel, the American Jewish community has become increasingly prepared to criticize and constrain Israeli governments. This new reality suggests that in future confrontations between Washington and Jerusalem, the Israeli government will have to face the administration without at least part of its traditional base of support in American public opinion.
