The United States has been a strong supporter of Israel. Is that likely to continue? How do changes over the last few years in the Middle East affect the US-Israel relationship? To what extent are different parts of the American public, the American Jewish community, and the American foreign policy establishment still inspired to stand with Israel? Indeed, what does it mean to “stand with Israel?”

Watch William Kristol, editor of the Weekly Standard, in conversation with Tikvah’s Director of Academic Programs Jonathan Silver, analyze Israel and the future of American foreign policy. The event was recorded before a live audience on January 27, 2014 at The Tikvah Center in New York City. For information on other upcoming Tikvah events, please check our Events page.

Last week, Brookings Institution senior fellow Michael Doran taught in our ongoing Advanced Institute entitled “Moments of Decision, Great Debates.” His subject was the 1948 Israeli war of independence and the fierce debate that surrounds it. While he was at the Tikvah Center, he sat down with Tikvah’s Executive Director Eric Cohen for an exclusive interview. The discussion ranged from parallels between the Eisenhower and Obama administrations’ approach to the Middle East, to the principles of American foreign policy under President Bush and President Obama to Dr. Doran’s analysis of contemporary crises in Syria and Iran.

“We have ceded to Iran an enormous amount of leverage. Iran has given up no leverage over us whatsoever. With respect to their nuclear program, they are at first and goal. What they have agreed to with this agreement is to stay at first and goal… the leverage that they have over us is constant.”

But, he adds,  it’s not the end of the world… Listen in to see why.

One winter after an unusually heavy run of funerals, the rabbi of our Montreal synagogue reminded the congregation that in traditional Judaism, dying was only a minhag (custom); it was not a mitzva. I would like to extend this excellent observation to political catastrophe, which is likewise not a Jewish obligation. Like many other Jews […]