Publications

The Trump administration has made combatting antisemitism a centerpiece of its domestic policy, focusing especially on the climate for Jewish and Israeli students at institutions of higher education. The administration’s policies to pressure university’s to adopt reforms have included severe cuts to research funding, limits on enrollment of international students, and attempts to deport pro-Palestinian activists. Perhaps surprisingly given the scope of the problem of antisemitism, Jewish communal responses to the Trump administration...

Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January 2025 signaled dramatic changes in how the United States addresses threats of foreign influence and interference in the digital realm. The administration swiftly moved to dismantle government mechanisms that had been established in previous years to protect the United States from hostile foreign influence. These steps—from the dismissal of senior security officials to the shutdown of dedicated teams in government departments—raise concerns about the West’s overall capacity to...

This article reframes the current global landscape: the United States faces not a regional conflict but a decisive struggle for its established world order. Five states—Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, and Qatar—are coordinately challenging American hegemony, using economic, cyber, and cognitive warfare, a dynamic the United States often struggles to fully grasp. Iran, the most vulnerable yet dangerous link, looms as a nuclear threat that would irreversibly shift global power and constrain US influence. With Europe largely...

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) published two alarming reports regarding Iran’s nuclear program. One report addresses Iran’s past activities at sites not declared to the IAEA, for which Tehran has failed to provide satisfactory explanations. The second report concerns the current status of the program and indicates an acceleration in the accumulation of highly enriched uranium, enabling Iran to enrich to military grade for 10 nuclear bombs within days. Both reports are expected to be discussed at the upcoming IAEA Board...

The domestic American, regional, and global reality is currently undergoing dramatic changes. Will Israeli–US relations remain immune to these upheavals and their diverse consequences? Will the relations continue as they have (subject to circumstantial adjustments)? Will Israel’s value as an asset outweigh the burden it may pose for the United States? In answering these questions, the significant erosion in the pillars of the “special relationship”—the shared ethos and mutual interests, as well as cracks in the bridge connecting the...

President Donald Trump completed his first diplomatic visit of his second term in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, signaling that these countries hold personal significance for him—not just for the United States. The outcomes of the visit provided the leaders of these states with an opportunity to showcase a broad convergence of interests, particularly those that are visible. This visit, along with recent moves by the US administration in the Middle East, has contributed to a growing sense that Israel is being...

The talks that began in April 2025 between Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and the US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff—with Oman’s mediation—are bringing Iran, the United States, and Israel closer to critical moments regarding the future of Iran’s nuclear program. The results of the negotiations will largely determine whether the direction will be toward a political-diplomatic settlement on the nuclear issue or toward a military strike (Israeli, American, or joint) against Iran’s nuclear facilities. At this...

The nuclear discussions between Iran and the United States are continuing, with both sides expressing a preference for an agreement over military confrontation—even though, at this stage, it is impossible to assess whether they will succeed in bridging existing gaps or those that may arise later. For now, both parties have expressed optimism and appear to believe that there is value in deepening the talks. The meeting that was supposed to take place on May 3 will likely be held in the coming days. According to President Trump, who...

After the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the US Department of Defense undertook an extensive evaluation of the conflict, commissioning no fewer than 37 separate studies, including a still-classified seven-volume report on weapon systems. American military personnel walked the battlefields alongside Israeli commanders who had fought there, analyzing the strategies and technologies that enabled Israel to prevail against overwhelming odds. The lessons drawn from Israel’s battlefield successes would profoundly shape US military doctrine, directly...

The partisan divide over Israel in US public opinion has reached unprecedented levels. According to a benchmark survey released earlier this month, only one-third of Democrats compared to over four-fifths of Republicans have a favorable view of Israel. The rapidly expanding gap is the result of several long-term trends: the declining religiosity of the American public, increasing partisan competition across most issues areas, and a growing generational divide in attitudes about Israel. The war launched by Hamas in October 2023 has...

Since the beginning of his second term, President Trump has spoken about nuclear weapons several times, emphasizing their urgency and declaring his intention to address them after resolving the crises in Ukraine and the Middle East. He also stressed the need to discuss arms control with Russia and China, as well as to cut defense budgets in half—particularly in the nuclear domain. This stands in contrast to his first term, which was characterized by a retreat from steps aimed at advancing disarmament and arms control, and...

Donald Trump assumed office as US president with a flurry of action. In these first weeks, his administration launched a series of unprecedented actions aimed at reshaping the United States through sweeping constitutional, political, and diplomatic changes. These efforts also sought to redefine the country’s role on the global stage by altering the terms of alliances and agreements that for years had been pillars of the liberal order, with the US at its center. Many of these measures could directly affect the State of Israel—some...