- Statement of Significance
- One of the greatest long-term sources of controversy for the United States in the Middle East is its policy towards Israel. The U.S.-Israeli relationship has broad implications, ranging from Palestinian issues to Iranian nuclear weapons. The election of Hamas, the war with Hezbollah, and recent overtures toward Syria make Israel at the center of major U.S. policy objectives in the region. Further, U.S. policy towards Israel is of great significance. Israel remains a major recipient of U.S. military and economic assistance and is one of the largest importers of U.S. arms. In fact, on average, about 17% of all U.S. foreign aid is dedicated to Israel.
- Statement on Interest, Provocativeness, & Challenge
- While the U.S. has a rather steady record of supporting Israel, this doesn’t make the decision to do so a simple one. Rather, the issue is a complex balancing act between supporting a strong U.S.-ally and hurting the U.S. image throughout the Middle East. Striking the right balance makes the topic an interesting debate. In addition, the debate will be a stimulating one. There is no shortage of opinions regarding Israel. Former President Jimmy Carter’s new book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid and Alan Dershowitz’s Why Terrorism Works provide two great examples of valid, but incredibly divergent opinions on modern-day Israel, ensuring a provocative debate. Finally, this topic would provide a challenging debate. Israel’s role in current events is a dynamic one, ensuring new and fresh debate throughout the year.
- Statement of the Educational Value
- A discussion of the U.S. policies towards Israel would certainly be educational. The topic would force in-depth debate by focusing on a single country of importance, in contrast to the 2005-2006 Asia topic. Students would need to follow the politics of a country other than the U.S. with a different political system and social dynamics.
- Sample Resolutions
- Resolved: The United States Federal Government should significantly alter its foreign policy towards Israel.
- Resolved: The United States Federal Government should substantially decrease its military and/or economic support of Israel.
- Resolved: The United States Federal Government should adopt a policy significantly increasing its support for the establishment a Palestinian state.
- Resolved: The United States Federal Government should substantially reform its policy towards Israel in one or more of the following areas: arms sales, economic assistance, terrorism, and/or the Roadmap for Peace
- Possible Affirmative Case Areas
- Economic Assistance for Palestinian Refugees
- Restricting Arms Sales
- Conditioning Military Assistance on Foreign Policy Changes
- Israeli Nuclear Assistance
- Reestablish/Reform the Roadmap for Peace
- Negative Areas
- United Nations CP
- EU CP
- Funding Tradeoff DA
- U.S.-Israel Relations DA
- U.S. Soft Power DA
- Politics DA
- Sample Bibliography
- 1. Carter, Jimmy (2006). Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, Simon and Schuster
- 2. Pappe, Ilan (2006). The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, Oneworld Publications
- 3. Khalidi, Rashid (2006). The Iron Cage: The Story of the Palestinian Struggle for Statehood, Beacon Press
- 4. Petras, James (2006). The Power of Israel in the United States, Clarity Press Inc.
- 5. Dershowitz, Alan (2004). The Case for Israel, John Wiley & Sons
- 6. Dershowitz, Alan (2005). The Case for Peace, Wiley
- 7. Schiff, Ze’ev (November/December 2006) “Israel’s War With Iran”, Foreign Affairs
- 8. Hulsman, John and Gardiner, Niles January 24, 2006) “Confounding the Mullahs of Iran: It’s Time for Israel to Join NATO”, The Heritage Foundation
- 9. Phillips, James A. (December 19, 2006) “Iraq Study Group is Wrong to Link Iraq to Israel”, The Heritage Foundation
- 10. Judis, John (August 2, 2006) “Apocalypse Now: Bush’s Failed Israel Strategy”, The New Republic Online
Links to 2008-2009 Topic Papers
