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What Israel Must Learn from the War in Ukraine

(Los Angeles Jewish Journal) Gerald M. Steinberg - The first lesson to be learned (or relearned) from Russia's invasion of Ukraine is that the absence of deterrence can be fatal for any nation. Good intentions and strong words of support notwithstanding, the lack of a credible deterrent to dissuade Putin was clearly evident. For Israel, the events in Ukraine are an important reality check. Israelis recognize that no outside power, not even the U.S., can be relied on to guarantee survival in the face of a powerful threat. Having America as an ally added to Israeli security, but did not replace the centrality of self-reliance. The best means of preventing an attack is by convincing enemies that the response will be swift and intolerable, and in threatening Israel's survival, their own existence would be at stake. The writer, a fellow of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, is emeritus professor of political studies at Bar-Ilan University and heads the Institute for NGO Research in Jerusalem.
2022-02-28 00:00:00
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