The Realist, Jewish State

One of the central themes of realism is realist power. That is the way that realist states view their role in the power struggle that is our world. Because of this, when it comes to foreign policy, realist states tend to focus on national security as the most critical element for the survival of the state. When looking for an example of a state that practices a realist foreign policy, I selected the State of Israel. I believe that Israel practices realpolitik because of its deep understanding of states in anarchy, in the ways that it balances the power of other states in its region, and the extent to which it focuses on national interests and security as essential areas of government.

The Middle East is a region filled with states in anarchy. One need not look further than Bashar al-Assad’s Syria, a state that has been in utter anarchy for the past 3 years with hundreds of thousands of civilian casualties. Moving further east to Iraq, where ISIS has taken over countless cities formerly belonging to the Iraqi government, a “state” that now has almost no authority in its own country. And finally, in Egypt, a country that was relatively stable for decades, continuous regime changes have shifted the country’s political sands in the past five years. Needless to say that Israel, the only stable democracy in the Middle East, has much to be worried about. Because Israel is a realist state, it feels the need to combat its anarchist neighbors by exhibiting its military strength and in doing so, Israel believes that local states in anarchy will attack Israel because of its military prowess.
            Israel’s military prowess did not develop out of thin air; it was a product of the necessity to protect itself from the anarchy of its neighbors. This leads me to the second reason why I believe that Israel is a realist state, and that is because it invests a high percentage of its GDP (Gross Domestic Product) on its military power in order to balance the power of its neighboring countries. According to The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, in 2012, Israel spent $19.4 billion on defense spending or 7.85% of its GDP, at least 3% more than the USA did that same year. By using such a high percentage of its GDP on defense, Israel uses the power of its economy to strengthen the power of its military, a quintessentially realist action. Although Israel has strong ties with other states, both economically and militarily, Israel is always aware of how shifting the sands of the Middle East are, and is therefore steadfast in its determination to protect its sovereignty as a democracy in a sea of anarchy.

The State of Israel focuses much of its attention on National Security interests because, as I stated above, it is a necessity for its very survival. However, in order to fully understand Israel’s realist policies, one must take a look at Jewish History. Following the destruction of the Second Jewish Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE, the Jewish people were exiled from the Land of Israel and spread all over the globe. Over the past 2,000 years, Jews have often been discriminated against, ultimately culminating in the Holocaust. It is because of this history that I believe that Israel practices the realist policy of self-help, meaning that they cannot fully rely on any other country to protect their National Security interests. Israel takes its National Security so seriously because it knows what would happen to the Jewish People if they no longer had their own sovereign state.

Israel is an example of a modern realist state because of its deep understanding of states in anarchy, the ways it balances the power of its enemies and neighbors, and how much it focuses on National Security issues. Israel is faced with many challenges and threats abroad and because of that, it believes that it must do whatever it takes to protect its people and its sovereignty.

Works Cited

"U.S. Defense Spending vs. Global Defense Spending." Center for Arms Control. N.p., 24 Apr. 2013. Web. 24 Sept. 2014.