Defending the Nation: Israel s Culture of National Security. Instructor: Daniel Levine Thursday 1-3pm, Gilman 12

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1 Defending the Nation: Israel s Culture of National Security Instructor: Daniel Levine daniel.levine@jhu.edu Thursday 1-3pm, Gilman 12 Office Hours: Friday, Café Q,, or by appointment Overview What is security? What is threat? What does it mean to secure a nation? Traditionally, the term national security has been applied to the security of states. As such, it has focused in ways in which the state projects violence either in its defense, or in the pursuit of its interests. As a sovereign body, it has been widely held that the right to wield violence is the state s prerogative, and various intellectual and governmental arts have evolved to help it do so efficiently: strategy, public administration, diplomacy. Because we traditionally view states as uniform in structure and function, our studies of interstate violence have tended to develop along general, almost scientific lines. State violence is studied through the disciplines of strategy and tactics, and through the language of international relations. We speak this way, because by referring to states, we refer essentially to a set of bureaucratic functions that are presumed to function more or less similarly the world over. But none of these assumptions hold true when we speak about nations. Nations, unlike states, are held to be complex, shifting, and culturally dynamic entities: fusions of memory and history, of culture and practice, of languages and traditions, nations are more easily anthropomorphized. Nations suffer traumas; experience victories; leapfrog into periods of great creativity or lapse into periods of torpor. And so we ask: what does it mean to secure a nation? We cannot, for all the reasons noted above, speak of such ideas in the abstract. Culture can only be understood through practices. Security speaks to expectations, to fears, to shared understandings of the status quo both in its physical dimensions (as in the tactics of the battlefield or the borders of a state) and in political, economic and cultural aspects. We seek, then, to explore the sensibilities, priorities, memories and expectations of Israeli people. Not to judge or moralize, but to interrogate: patiently, sensitively and persistently. We will examine memories, as these are experienced, codified, and passed on; common sense, as it forms and is deployed; and space, as it is traversed. Israeli security culture must be felt as well as analyzed: what incites fear, what gives a sense of safety. In so doing, we hope to discover the ways in which Israelis have fused memory and history with fears and anticipations. In so doing, we hopefully come to re-understand strategy and tactics in profoundly different terms: to develop a language of security which is consciously intuitive and contingent rather than scientific; which emerges from relationships and cultures, rather than abstract principles. Requirements: Students are expected to arrive to class prepared, to participate fully in discussions, and to submit either two short papers (7-10 pages) on class readings or one longer paper in consultation (15-20 pages) with me. For students benefit, it is suggested that longer

2 topics be agreed upon by Week 9 of the course. Film screenings, while strongly recommended, are optional (with one exception). Each week (beginning week 3), students will also briefly present on the various readings, to help us start each week s discussion. Prerequisites: Students should have completed at least one class in international politics, and would ideally have some background (formal or otherwise) in Middle Eastern politics. Enrollment: 15 Readings: Part I: Terms of Art Nations and Security Class One: Introduction: What is security? Introduction to core concepts and review of course requirements. Group reading. Brief in-class comparative reading from Clausewitz s On War, (Princeton University Press, 1989, pp , 85-9) and Shimon Peres David s Sling. (Random House: 1970), ch. 12. Class Two: What is security (continued)? Arnold Wolfers: National Security as an Ambiguous Symbol. Discord and Collaboration: Essays on International Politics. (Johns Hopkins, 1962), pp Yisrael Tal: National Security: the Israeli Experience. (Praeger, 2000), chs. 1, 2, 5 and 6. (pp. 3-17, 33-44) Michel Foucault: Society Must be Defended. (Picador, 2003), Lectures 1-3 (pp. 1-63). James Der Derian: Virtuous War: Mapping the Military-Industrial-Media-Entertainment Network War. (Westview, 2001), Chs. 1 & 9. (34 pages) Class Three: What is the Nation? Johann Gottlieb Fichte: Address to the German Nation. in Omar Dahbour and Micheline R. Ishay: The Nationalism Reader. (Humanities Press, 1995), pp Theodor Herzl: A Jewish State. In Omar Dahbour and Micheline R. Ishay: The Nationalism Reader. (Humanities Press, 1995), pp Ernest Renan: What is the Nation? in Grigor Eley and Ronald Suny: Becoming National: A Reader (Oxford, 1996), pp Benedict Anderson: Imagined Communities. (Verso: 1991), chs. 1-3 (36 pages) Rogers Brubaker: Rethinking Nationhood: Nation as Institutionalized Form, Practical Category, Contingent Event. In Brubaker: Nationalism Reframed. (Cambridge, 1996), Ch.1, pp

3 Anthony D. Smith: National Identity and Myths of Ethnic Descent. Infra John Hutchinson and Anthony D. Smith, (eds.): Nationalism: Critical Concepts in Political Science, (Routledge, 2000), Vol. IV, pp Rawi Abdelal: National Purpose in the World Economy. (Cornell, 2001), ch. 2, pp (Recommended) Class Four: History, Memory and Nation First short paper topics distributed Sources: Yael Zerubavel: Recovered Roots: Collective Memory and the Making of Israeli National Tradition. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995), parts I and II (pp. 1-78). Yosef Haim Yerushalmi: On the Uses of Forgetting from Zachor: Jewish History and Jewish Memory. (Seattle: University of Washington, 1996), ch. 4 and postscript, (36 pages). Haim Hazaz: The Sermon. Partisan Review, Vol. 23 (1956). (short story) Competing Conceptualizations of the Nation. Select two from the following readings, and be prepared to analyze them briefly for your classmates. Who is the author addressing? What is he describing, and from what standpoint? Consider origins, histories, symbols, ceremonies, and goals. Natan Alterman: The Silver Platter Benjamin Ze ev Jabotinsky: Selections. (The Political and Social Writings, pp ) Ahad Ha am: The Law of the Heart; from Flesh and Spirit; and The Jewish State and the Jewish Problem. (Hertzberg (1977), pp ; 262-8) Max Nordau: Speech to the First Zionist Congress and Zionism (Hertzberg (1977), pp ). Jacob Klatzkin: Boundaries. (Hertzberg (1977), pp ). Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak HaCohen Kook: Various writings (Hertzberg (1977), pp ) and Anonymous: Manifesto of the Mizrahi. (Mendes-Flohr and Reinharz (1980), p. 436). The Declaration of Independence of the State of Israel and The Law of Return and associated debates. (Mendes-Flohr and Reinharz (1980), pp ). Ber Borochov: Program for Proletarian Zionism and Anonymous: The World- View of HaShomer HaTza ir. (Mendes-Flohr and Reinharz (1980), pp and ) Martin Buber and Hermann Cohen: A Debate on Zionism and Messianism. (Mendes-Flohr and Reinharz (1980), pp ) David Ben-Gurion: The Imperatives of the Jewish Revolution. (Hertzberg (1977), pp ). Nahman Syrkin: The Jewish Problem and the Socialist Nation-State. (Hertzberg (1977), pp ). AD Gordon: Various. (Hertzberg (1977), pp ). 3

4 Arthur Hertzberg: The Zionist Idea: A Historical Analysis and Reader. (Antheneum, 1977 [1959]) Mendes-Flohr, Paul R. and Reinharz, Jehuda: The Jew in the Modern World: A Documentary History. (Oxford, 1980) Jabotinsky, Ze ev: The Political and Social Philosophy of Ze ev Jabotinsky. (London: Vallentine Mitchell, 1999) Part II: Securing the Nation: Who, What, and Where? Class Five: The Location of Security (I): the People in the Land Readings and Discussion Tom Segev: One Palestine: Complete (Metropolitan Books, 2000), chs. 10 and 12 (pp ; ) Oz Almog: The Sabra: The Creation of the New Jew. (University of California Press, 2000) Intro. and ch 5. (46 pages) Theodor Herzl: Old-New Land. (Markus Weiner: 1997), pp ; (32 pages) Mahmoud Darwish: A Soldier Dreams of White Lilies. In Darwish: Unfortunately, It Was Paradise. (University of California Press, 2003) (poem) Rachel (Rachel Bluwstein): A Melancholy Tune. ( Zemer Nugeh ) (handout) Class Six: The Location of Security (II): the New Israeli Readings and class discussion First short paper due Almog: The Sabra, ch. 1 (50 pages) George L. Mosse.: Confronting the Nation: Jewish and Western Nationalism. (Brandeis, 1993), ch. 11. Moshe Shamir: He Walked Through the Fields. (Jerusalem: World Zionist Organization, 1957) (play) Max Nordau: Jewry of Muscle. in Mendes-Flohr and Reinharz (1980), pp Class Seven: The Practice of Security (I): Strategy and Tactics Readings and class discussion Ariel Levite: Offense and Defense in Israeli Military Doctrine. (Westview, 1990), ch. 2. (37 pages) Mark Heller: Continuity and Change in Israeli Security Policy. (London: Adelphi Papers #335, International Institute for International Relations, 2000), entire (68 pages) Reuven Pedhatzur: Ben-Gurion s Enduring Legacy. In Bar-Tal, Daniel, et. al. (eds).: Security Concerns: Insights from the Israeli Experience. (JAI Press, 1998). (22 pages) 4

5 Elliot A. Cohen, Michael J. Eisenstadt and Andrew J. Bacevitch: Knives, Tanks and Missiles: Israel s Security Revolution. (Washington Institute for Near East Policy, 1998). (Recommended) Class Eight: The Practice of Security (II): Normality and Anti-Normality. Readings and class discussion Horowitz, Dan, and Lissak, Moshe: Trouble in Utopia: The Overburdened Polity of Israel. (Albany: SUNY Press, 1989), ch. 5. (pp ) Charles C. Moskos, David Allen Williams and David R. Segal: The Postmodern Military: Armed Forces after the Cold War. (Oxford University Press, 2000), chs. 1 and 12 (pp. 1-13; ). Hanoch Bartov: After the War - 2: Back to Abnormal. Commentary, March 1974, pp Amos Oz: The Hill of Evil Counsel. Infra: The Hill of Evil Counsel (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1978), pp (novella) Film Screening (required): The Siren s Song (Shirat ha-sirena) Director: Eytan Fox, screenplay Irit Linur (1994). Part III: Challenges and Peripheries Class Nine: Challenging Anti-Normality Long paper topics should be set by this week Lomsky-Feder and Ben-Ari: (eds.): The Military and Militarism in Israeli Society. (Albany: SUNY Press, 1999), chs. 1 and 12. (33 pages) Gershon Shafir and Yoav Peled: The Roots of Peacemaking: The Dynamics of Citizenship in Israel. International Journal of Middle East Studies. (Vol. 28, No. 3), August 1996, pp (21 pages) Jonathan Mahler: Israel s New Historians Take a Hard Look at their Nation s Past. Lingua Franca, August (10 pages) Martin Van Creveld: The Sword and the Olive: A Critical History of the Israel Defense Forces. (Public Affairs, 1998), chs. 18-end, pp Meir Ariel: A Quiet Night for Our Forces on the Suez (pop lyrics, handout) Yehuda Amichai: My Child Smells of Peace. infra Esther Raizen: No Rattling of Sabers. (poem) Optional Film: Beyond the Walls (me-ahorei ha-soragim). Dir. Uri Barabash, screenplay Uri Barabash and Benny Barabash (1984). Class Ten: The Necessity of Peace? 5

6 Nadav Morag: Unambiguous Ambiguity: The Opacity of the Oslo Peace Process. Israel Affairs, Spring/Summer 2000, Vol. 6 Issue 3/4, pp Michael Barnett: The Israeli Identity and the Peace Process: Re/Creating the Un/Thinkable. In Barnett and Telhami: Identity and Foreign Policy in the Middle East, (Cornell, 2002). (30 pages) Shimon Peres: The New Middle East. (Henry Holt, 1993), chs. 1-3, pp Yitzhak Rabin: Not a Peace Process, But Peacemaking and What Kind of Israel Do You Want? In Rabin: The Rabin Memoirs. (University of California, 1996), pp and Optional Film: Kedma ( Eastward ). Dir. Amos Gitai, screenplay Amos Gitai and Mordechai Goldhecht (2002). Class Eleven: The Disappearing Self (I): The Challenge of Peace Oren Yiftachel: Territory as the Kernel of the Nation: Space, Time and Nationalism in Israel/Palestine. Geopolitics, Vol.7, No.2, Autumn (30 pages) Sammy Smooha: The Implications of the Transition to Peace for Israeli Society. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. Vol. 555, pp Abraham B. Yehoshua: Excerpts from The Liberated Bride. (Harcourt, 2003), pp (novel) Optional Film: Fictitious Marriage (Nisu im Fictivi im). Dir. Haim Bouzaglo, screenplay Haim Bouzaglo and Yossi Savaya (1988). Class Twelve: The Disappearing Self (II): Anti-Normality Strikes Back Yoram Hazony: The Jewish State: the Struggle for Israel s Soul (Basic Books, 2000), Intro., pp. 3-6, 18-33; (46 pages) Binyamin Netanyahu: A Durable Peace: Israel and its Place among the Nations. (Warner, 1999), ch. 9. (45 pages) Claude Klein: Zionism Revisited. Israel Affairs, Vol.11, No.1, January 2005, pp Optional Film: ha-hesder (Time of Favor). Dir. and screenplay, Joseph Cedar (2000). Class Thirteen: Securing What? And for Whom? Papers Due 6

7 Shlomo Brom: The Many Faces of Unilateral Separation. Strategic Assessment. (4 pages) Guy Ben-Porat: A New Middle East? Globalization, Peace and the Double Movement. International Relations. (forthcoming) (23 pages) Martin Van Creveld: Defending Israel: A Controversial Plan Towards Peace. (St. Martin s Press: 2004), ch. 8 (7 pages) Eyal Ben-Ari: My Israeli Military: A Disappearing World? in Ben-Ari: Mastering Soldiers: Conflict, Emotions and the Enemy in an Israeli Military Unit. (Bergahn, 1998). (5 pages) Uzi Rubin: View from Israel: Oslo Revisited. Israel Affairs, Vol.10, No.3, Spring 2004, pp Uzi Rebhun and Chaim I. Watzman: Israel in the Early Twenty-First Century: Challenging Internal and Global Developments. Israel Affairs, Summer 2003, Vol. 9 Issue 4, pp