Abstract

Small countries constitute a special category in the study of international relations. Such countries face more immediate and more urgent threats to their security and very survival than larger political entities. Also, by definition, small states possess fewer territorial, geographic and in many cases, natural resources. Hence the importance of human resources as the key to success in facing the manifold challenges involved. This seminar will discuss the various interlocking historical, socio-cultural, educational, economic, military, political, diplomatic and other factors that have made Israel a successful small state, despite a generally inclement geostrategic environment.

About the Speaker

Gabriel Ben-Dor is Professor of Political Science at the University of Haifa in Israel. He served in the past as the Rector of the University, as well as Chairman of the Department of Political Science, Director of the Institute of Middle Eastern Studies and Dean of Research. He is also a past President of the Israel Political Science Association. He is a member of a number of high-level public commissions and forums dealing with academic development and policy in Israel and abroad. In the past, he served as senior adviser on strategic affairs to the Israeli Ministry of Defense.

Professor Ben-Dor has also advised major institutions of higher education in Israel and abroad, particularly in the United Kingdom, on academic programs and appointments.

Professor Ben-Dor has been the director of the graduate study program at the National Defense College, the highest course of the studies in the Israeli Defense Forces. He is also the founder of the National Security Studies Center at the University of Haifa, which is one of the leading research institutes on matters related to defense, security and strategy in Israel. He recently completed a six year term as a member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Middle East Studies-one of the most prestigious publications in the field.

Professor Ben-Dor has published seven books and over one hundred and twenty articles in scholarly journals on Middle East politics, the Arab-Israeli conflict, national security affairs, strategic studies, ethnic problems and political theory.

Professor Ben-Dor has been a visiting lecturer at a number of universities in Western Europe, Canada and the United States. He holds a doctorate in Political Science and Middle Eastern Studies from Princeton University in the United States.

Professor Ben-Dor has commented on political and strategic affairs to audiences around the world, including appearances on radio and television programs from Israel, Sweden, Norway, Germany, China, Brazil, Canada, Russia and the United States.