The Game of Camps, Episode 1: Nuclear Deal – Israel’s View in a Shifting Region, Practitioner View was the first of five in a series of global conference calls presenting insider viewpoints on various regions throughout the world. As the stage is open for all to discuss and share, we will provide a view from one side of a region on each call, allowing members to provide an alternative perspective on successive calls. Joe Gantz (WPO Metro NY and Fairchester), GDPP executive committee member, moderated this call.
The Middle East is going through a tectonic shift. Israel has not yet been impacted, but is an active participant. Col (ret.) Dr. Eran Lerman has been in the eye of the storm for over two decades, and shared his personal analysis of where the region is heading.
Date: Wednesday, 29 July 2015
Discussion topics:
At the time of the breaking of states – to paraphrase the poet – the utility of “Raison d’Etat” comes into question.
To understand the landscape we navigate, we must have a new and relevant compass – recognizing the ideology and identity, not the rational interplay of state interests, are in the driver’s seat.
Hence the emergence of four ideological groupings or “camps”, in a struggle for power – Iran’s camp; the Global Jihadis led by IS; the Muslim Brothers and their political “cousins” and friends; and last but not least, the forces of stability.
Mapping them is vital to the implementation of effective strategies of survival amidst the regional turmoil.
Take-home value:
Listeners will gain a better understanding of the daily twists and turns of the drama.
The danger of a regional arms race will come into a better focus.
Resource:
Col. (ret.) Dr. Eran Lerman is deputy for foreign policy and international affairs at National Security Council in the Israeli Prime Minster Office. Dr. Lerman also served as the assistant for analyses to the deputy director for intelligence production at the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Directorate of Military Intelligence. He was a member of Israel’s arms control delegation to the Arab-Israeli peace talks from 1992 until 1995 and frequently conducts public briefings on strategic issues. A former lecturer at the Department of Political Science at Haifa University, he holds a B.A. in history from Tel Aviv University and a Ph.D. in history from the University of London, as well as an M.P.A. from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Disclaimer:
Please note that the views expressed in this Global Conference Call are of this resource and are not the views of YPO. As the stage is open for all to discuss and share, we will provide a view from one side of a region on each call, allowing members to provide an alternative perspective on successive calls.
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