Michael Eisenstadt David Pollock How the United States Benefits ...

1 | Introduction
THE U.S.-ISRAEL special relationship has traditionally
been defined in terms of a moral obligation,
shared cultural and political values, and common
interests. 1 During the Cold War, in the context
of the geopolitical struggle with the Soviet Union,
Israel also came to be seen as a strategic asset. It
served as a bulwark against Soviet influence, defeating
Soviet allies in 1967, 1969–1970, 1973, and again
in 1982, victories that were a blow to Soviet prestige
and a vindication for U.S. arms. And it served as a
counter to radical Arab nationalism—tipping off
the moderate leaders of Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi
Arabia regarding coup plots and assassinations
and working with the United States to turn back
a Syrian invasion of Jordan in 1970. 2 U.S. military
support for Israel and U.S.-Israel security cooperation
contributed to peace treaties with Egypt and
Jordan and, since 1982, have deterred the outbreak
of a major interstate conflict involving Israel and
its neighbors—while U.S. munitions and military
equipment stockpiled in Israel have been available
for use by the United States (and Israel) for various
regional contingencies. 3 Finally—and somewhat
counterintuitively—the U.S.-Israel special relationship
helped spur closer U.S.-Arab ties following
the 1973 war, because many Arabs believed that
only Washington could deliver the Israeli concessions
that they required for peace. 4
Since the end of the Cold War, however, the
United States and Israel have often preferred not
to publicly discuss the details of their security relationship,
lest it draw unwanted attention and complicate
U.S. efforts to work with Arab and Muslim
allies, first to contain Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and
later to defeat al-Qaeda. As a result, many of the
benefits of U.S.-Israel security cooperation have
gone unrecognized, making it easier for critics to
portray Israel as a strategic liability. 5 Although this
view has not gained broad currency in the U.S. government,
it has, in recent years, garnered support in
some media, academic, and policy advocacy circles.
Other critics see U.S.-Israel relations primarily, if
not exclusively, through the prism of the Israeli-
Palestinian peace process, ignoring or neglecting
the many ways that the United States benefits from
the relationship.
A decade after 9/11, al-Qaeda is a fragmented,
weakened organization. And while the war on al-
Qaeda and its affiliates is far from over, the United
States faces a changed, more complex global security
environment, defined not only by the hard
security challenges posed by terrorism and conventional/hybrid
military threats, but also by new and
emerging soft security challenges. 6
Israel possesses highly professional intelligence
services and counterterrorism forces, and has pioneered
many of the technologies and concepts
that are transforming the face of modern warfare,
including unmanned vehicles/robotics, rocket
and missile defenses, intelligence, surveillance,
and reconnaissance systems, passive and active
defenses for armored vehicles, and cyberwarfare.
It thus remains an important partner in efforts to
deal with the hard security challenges of the future
and in preserving the competitiveness of the U.S.
defense-industrial base—through joint development
efforts or the coproduction of cutting-edge
Israeli systems. Just as important, Israel is well
positioned to contribute to U.S. efforts to deal with
emerging soft security challenges related to economic
competitiveness, the information technology
revolution, sustainability (i.e., water and food
security, and the quest for energy alternatives), and
public health, which will test U.S. resilience and
require broad international cooperation if they
are to be solved. And while this is not a relationship
of equals—the United States clearly provides
a great deal more to Israel than it receives—it is
a relationship that benefits both countries and
that has intrinsic value above and beyond moral
The WashingTon insTiTuTe for near easT Policy 1