Publications

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...

On February 23, elections for the Bundestag will be held in Germany due to the failure of the current coalition government to address pressing issues: asylum seekers, the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis, and the economic slowdown. The next government will also need to contend with the implications of policies likely to be introduced by President Donald Trump regarding NATO, the Russia–Ukraine war, and international trade. In any case, the principle introduced by Chancellor Angela Merkel that “Israel’s security was and will remain...

Amid concerns over the stalemate in Ukraine, alarm over Russia’s hostile actions against member states, and a heightened threat from China, NATO has seen fit to take actions to strengthen the alliance in a bid to hedge against a hostile US administration, should Trump return to the White House in January. From an Israeli perspective, it is important to note the language of the alliance in regard to Iran, which is viewed as a malign actor that poses a threat to Euro-Atlantic security. Given NATO’s efforts to engage with its “southern...

The visit to Israel by US President Joe Biden is firm proof that the United States stands fully by Israel’s side, while providing tangible support in maintaining and bolstering IDF capabilities and deterring potential threats from other arenas, primarily Hezbollah and Iran. But the visit was also designed to help Washington understand Israel’s goals in the war, the prospects of success, and the plans for the day after. The longer the fighting continues, the wider the gaps will be between Israeli and US policy, due to the...

In an interview in Haaretz on January 1, 2023, Maj. Gen. (res.) Tamir Hayman, former head of Military Intelligence and currently Managing Director of the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), stated that the Israeli strategy that sought (and seeks) to fell the nuclear agreement with Iran has failed, and that the last three Prime Ministers of Israel pursued this aim without presenting an alternative program. Israel, the United States, and other countries succeeded only in postponing or slowing the progress of the Iranian...

President Putin’s decision to annex four regions of Ukraine and his definition of his struggle against the Western elites as an existential struggle, while avowing his determination to defend the annexed territories and making implicit threats about the possibility of using unconventional weapons, significantly increase the risk of escalation. Consequently, the United States and its allies are now at a crossroads. It seems that Russia’s conduct will compel them to formulate a follow-up strategy that will heighten the...

The 10th Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference (RevCon) in New York on August 1-26, 2022, convenes following a number of delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The conference will mark two important milestones in the efforts to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons on the way to their total elimination: 50 years since the NPT entered into force, and 25 years since it was extended for an indefinite period. The Russian invasion of Ukraine, accompanied by gross violations of the treaty and the world order, represents...

The West’s goal in the campaign in Ukraine is still the prevention of a Russian victory and the guarantee that Ukraine does not lose. To this end, the United States administration is leading an international effort to upgrade substantially the quality and speed of heavy arms transfers to Ukraine. At the same time, it is clear to the West that despite Russia’s failure so far to achieve its original goals in the war, President Putin does not intend to retreat. It is therefore likely that the US administration and European...

Questions of the “what would have happened if” are irrelevant to historical research, unless they add a current perspective. Such a perspective exists insofar as Ukraine is not part of NATO or the European Union, unlike other European countries that were part of the Soviet bloc and were accepted into these organizations following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. And now, when parts of Ukraine have been captured by Russia, and two regions have even been recognized by Russia as independent, this question arises anew. The rigid...

There seems to be no country in Europe where the Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused a greater systemic upheaval than in Germany. The invasion roused Germany from the illusions that have guided its dealings with Russia since the 1970s – the “Ostpolitik” (eastern) policy. The collapse of the Soviet Union, the unification of Germany, and the (apparent) disappearance of the Soviet threat created a sense of the end of history and the victory of the liberal West. Enjoyment of the “fruits of peace” became the motto of German policy,...