The Modern Geopolitics of Israel

Israel is a minor power with middle power characteristics. Its military and economy are backstopped by the United States, enabling Israel, a country of only 10 million people in some 8,500 square miles, to project power throughout the greater Middle East and parts of the globe as though it were a middle power. But as its true geopolitical nature is that of a minor power, it is highly vulnerable to geopolitical shocks and sustained pressure that can drain the country's political will and economic resources. Moreover, Israel is an incomplete minor power: its core around the holy city of Jerusalem is divided between Israel and the Palestinian territories. To secure itself, Israel will seek a path to an independent middle power status, which can only be achieved by unifying the geographic core permanently, either through slow annexation, violent conquest or risky assimilation....