Laying the foundation for an understanding of US-Israeli relations, this lively and accessible book provides critical background on the origins and development of the 'special' relations between Israel and the United States. Questioning the usual neo-realist approach to understanding this relationship, David Tal instead suggests that the relations between the two nations were constructed on idealism, political culture, and strategic ties. Based on a diverse range of primary sources collected in archives in both Israel and the United States, The Making of an Alliance discusses the development of relations built through constant contact between people and ideas, showing how presidents and Prime Ministers, state officials, and ordinary people from both countries, impacted one another. It was this constancy of religion, values, and history, serving the bedrock of the relations between the two countries and peoples, over which the ephemeral was negotiated.
- Offers an interesting and accessible re-evaluation of Israel's role in the US-Israel relationship at an extremely critical time
- Provides critical background on the origins and development of the 'special' relations between Israel and the United States, and why this exists despite the conflicts and arguments
- Shows how the process that generated the special relationship was not a one-way road, but were often two-way negotiations between Washington and Jerusalem
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Reviews & endorsements
'For anyone seeking to understand why American policymakers and Americans in general support Israel, this book is essential reading. Tal convincingly argues that the 'special relationship' between the United States and Israel is deeply rooted and very resilient - shaped by religion, culture and history, not merely by strategic interests.' Dov Waxman, University of California, Los Angeles
'Based on extensive archival research, David Tal examines the many explanations for the close ties between the United States and Israel. He demonstrates that while shared values and culture, as well as shared interests, underlie this informal alliance, in a rapidly changing world, even these ties may not be immutable.' Ronald W. Zweig, New York University
'… a compelling read, especially for those seeking a critical academic approach that transcends superﬁcial over-simpliﬁcations used to justify preconceived viewpoints.' Natan Aridan, Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs
'… an impressively researched analysis of the origins and progression of the American-Israeli alliance. … Highly recommended.' M. F. Cairo, Choice
'… a very significant addition to the literature about the ties that have bound the United States and the Jewish state to each other. [This] book, in short, can be read with great profit by anyone, expert or layperson alike, with an interest in this relationship.' David Rodman, Israel Affairs
'The Making of an Alliance is an important addition to [the] literature. Relying on diplomatic sources, Tal painstakingly reconstructs the record of high-level diplomatic exchanges between the two countries across US administrations and Israeli premierships.' Neil Rogachevsky, Israel Studies Review
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Product details
- Date Published: January 2022
- format: Paperback
- isbn: 9781108445887
- length: 320 pages
- dimensions: 229 x 154 x 22 mm
- weight: 0.607kg
- availability: Available
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. The sources of the American support for Zionism
2. Friendship: from Woodrow Wilson to Harry S. Truman
3. Friendly impartiality, 1949–1958
4. Strategic change 1958–1968
5. From friendship to strategic alliance, 1969–1989
6. Friendship and strategic alliance.
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Author
David Tal, University of Sussex
David Tal is Professor and Yossi Harel Chair in Modern Israel Studies in the Department of History at the University of Sussex. An historian of diplomatic and military history, he has published extensively on Israeli diplomatic and military history, and US diplomatic history and disarmament policies. He is the author of books including Israel's Conception of Current Security: Origins and Development 1949-1956 (1998), War in Palestine, 1948: Strategy and Diplomacy (2004), The American Nuclear Disarmament Dilemma, 1945–1963 (2008), and US Strategic Arms Policy in the Cold War: Negotiation and Confrontation over SALT, 1969–79 (2017). He is the editor of The 1956 War: Collusion and Rivalry in the Middle East (2001) and Israeli Identity: Between Orient and Occident (2004).