Israel and the World Powers ─ Diplomatic Alliances and International Relations Beyond the Middle East

Israel's relations – or lack of them – with Muslim countries throughout the Middle East and the Islamic world are subject to repeated analysis and scrutiny in both the media and academia. But what have previously been less examined are Israel's relationships with the rest of world: from the former colonial states of Britain and France to the superpowers of the US and Russia and to emerging and regional powers such as China, India and Brazil. Conventionally seen as a state isolated from its Arab neighbors and irrevocably allied with the US, Israel is examined here in the light of its efforts to strengthen diplomatic ties with other powers, such as its attempts to improve fractious relationship with post-World War II Germany and the EU. Taking into consideration the fact that relations with Turkey have cooled significantly following the raid on the Gaza flotilla in 2008, Israel has been forced to look even further for support and alliances. It is by looking at Israel's relations with established and rising world powers that this book offers vital analysis for researchers of both Middle East studies and International Relations.

Colin Shindler is Professor in the Department of the Languages and Cultures of the Middle East, the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, UK. He is the author of The Land Beyond Promise: Israel, Likud and the Zionist Dream (2002) and The Triumph of Military Zionism: Nationalism and the Origins of the Israeli Right (2010), both with I.B.Tauris.