Israel in Context

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

Course taught by Steven A. Cook, Eni Enrico Mattei senior fellow for Middle East and Africa studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). He is an expert on Arab and Turkish politics as well as U.S.-Middle East policy. Cook is the author of The End of Ambition: America’s Past, Present, and Future in the Middle East; False Dawn: Protest, Democracy, and Violence in the New Middle East; The Struggle for Egypt: From Nasser to Tahrir Square, which won the 2012 gold medal from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy; and Ruling but Not Governing: The Military and Political Development in Egypt, Algeria, and Turkey.Academics, journalists, activists, and policymakers have often treat Israel analytically as exceptional. Much of the recent literature on the country portrays Israel as a unique force for good or as the embodiment of evil. This dichotomy is odd and suggests that authors are engaged in political projects rather than an effort to advance knowledge about an important country. Still, it is worth asking: Is Israel unique? How is it like other states? What about the Israeli society, which reflects the country’s politics? The course seeks to answer these questions through a dispassionate examination of Israel’s origins and an in-depth analysis of the political, historical, religious, and economic forces that are washing over the country and shaping its future.