Securing the Covenant: United States-Israel Relations After the Cold War (Contributions in Political Science, 351) - Softcover

Since its independence in 1948, Israel has enjoyed a special relationship with the United States, as successive administrations have reaffirmed America's unshakable commitment to Israel's security. This study reexamines this relationship now that the Cold War and the Persian Gulf War have ended and the Israeli-PLO Declaration of Principles and the Israel-Jordan-Washington Declaration have dramatically altered the strategic and political balance in the Middle East. This volume, suitable for the general reader and useful as an undergraduate and graduate course text, reassesses the bilateral special relationship between the United States and Israel. The easy-to-read analysis by a noted authority on Israeli and Middle East policy is unique in its detailed examination of the political, strategic, and economic policy parameters of the U.S.-Israeli relationship and of the ideological factors that underpin the connection between the two countries. Since its independence in 1948, Israel has enjoyed a special relationship with the United States, as successive administrations have reaffirmed America's unshakable commitment to Israel's security. This text reexamines this relationship now that the Cold War and the Persian Gulf War have ended and the Israeli-PLO Declaration of Principles and the Israel-Jordan-Washington Declaration have dramatically altered the strategic and political balance in the Middle East. Reich considers the ideological-emotional link between the United States and Israel, the political-strategic alliance, and together with Howard Rosen, describes the economic links between the two partners. They explain the need for the United States to continue to play a central role in the Arab-Israeli peace process. The text includes an evaluation of the role of domestic politics in the formulation of foreign policy and points to future policy options. A chronology and selected bibliography further enrich this teaching tool that is designed for courses in foreign policy, comparative politics, and Israeli and Middle Eastern studies.

BERNARD REICH, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, George Washington University, is well known for his many books and articles dealing with Israeli politics and U.S. foreign policy. His writings include Israeli Politics in the 1990s (1991), Israeli National Security Policy (1988), Powers of the Middle East and Israel (1986), The United States and Israel(1984), and Political Leaders of the Contemporary Middle East and North Africa: A Biographical Dictionary (1993), all published by Greenwood Press, and many other works. He serves as a consultant on Middle Eastern affairs to a number of U.S. government agencies.