Israel and the Global South

1 Credit · Level: Undergraduate

This course analyzes Israel’s relations and foreign policy objectives in the Global South, with a specific focus on Israel’s relations with Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia. Through this one-credit course, students will examine Israel’s overarching foreign policy aims across the Global South. Moving from the Yishuv’s quest for international legitimacy in the late 1940s to the newly founded state’s focus on “peripheral” security, students will study Israel’s relations with prominent Global South nations. Students will also gain insight into how Israel leverages contemporary relations with small and middle powers to enhance its international standing and influence. While the course is not designed to be a comprehensive examination of Israeli-Global South relations, it is intended to offer students an analytical framework for understanding the historic and contemporary events that have influenced the course of Israeli outreach to the Global South as well as the primary reasons for countries’ receptivity to this diplomatic engagement. Students are encouraged to situate geopolitical developments within specific domestic and international contexts to better understand the multifaceted dynamics driving Israel’s bilateral outreach to countries in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Great power competition and an evolving geopolitical landscape likewise impact Israel’s foreign policy engagement. Thus, the course will also explore the interdependence and interconnectivity of Israeli and global politics. Beyond providing a scholarly foundation for a better understanding of Israeli-Global South relations, the course offers students the opportunity to interact directly with academics and policymakers involved in this important – and expanding – field of study. These engagements, along with in-class workshops and discussions, will facilitate consideration and debate of diverse academic and policy viewpoints. Although the course does not require any prior knowledge of Israel or regional affairs, close attention to the weekly readings and extensive in-class participation is expected.This course will meet for 2.5 hours 6 times throughout the semester on the following dates: 28 Aug; 11 Sep; 25 Sep; 9 Oct; 23 Oct; 6 Nov.