Press Release – Journal of International Security Affairs Author Oren on Short List to be Next Israel Ambassador
WASHINGTON–Michael Oren, author of “The U.S.-Israel Partnership: Forks in the Road”, an article that appeared in the Fall 2008 issue of the Journal of International Security Affairs (published by the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, or JINSA), is reportedly a candidate to be Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ambassador to Washington.
Oren’s essay, which was published two months before the 2008 Presidential Election, attempts to answer the question, “who would be better for Israel as a U.S. president: Obama or John McCain?”
WASHINGTON–Michael Oren, author of “The U.S.-Israel Partnership: Forks in the Road”, an article that appeared in the Fall 2008 issue of the Journal of International Security Affairs (published by the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, or JINSA), is reportedly a candidate to be Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ambassador to Washington.
Oren’s essay, which was published two months before the 2008 Presidential Election, attempts to answer the question, “who would be better for Israel as a U.S. president: Obama or John McCain?”
To read the Journal article click here.
Oren, author of Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East, 1776 to the Present (Norton, 2007), carefully combed the mass of speeches, interviews, and press releases to paint a picture of the candidates’ policies. Oren noted that “[t]he presidential election of 2008 is arguably the most pivotal for Israel in its 60 years of existence.”
While both candidates called on the Arab states to recognize Israel in advance of Israeli territorial concessions and vowed to take an active role in the search for peace, Oren wrote, “in their approach to that process, and their conception of its outcome, the candidates evince some subtle – and potentially significant – differences.”
But, Oren noted, “the ultimate crucible of the candidates’ positions affecting Israel lies not in the peace process, in the War on Terror, or even in Iraq, but rather in the burgeoning crisis with Iran.”
Nevertheless, Oren offered some advice to his readers: “In casting their ballots … Americans should be mindful of the fact that a President’s ability to pursue any course of action in the Middle East is greatly limited by events and circumstances in the region.”
Concluding the article, Oren opined that “Israel is best served by a President capable of grappling with rapid and often turbulent change. Pro-Israel voters, then, should be less concerned with which candidate, John McCain or Barack Obama, favors or opposes settlements or is open or opposed to dialogue with Iran, but which is the ablest leader.”
Dr. Michael Oren is a senior fellow and scholar of Middle Eastern diplomatic and military history at the Shalem Center in Jerusalem and a professor in the Foreign Service School and the Program for Jewish Civilization at Georgetown University.
In addition to the Oren essay, the Fall 2008 issue featured 13 articles on the most important of White House foreign policy challenges – the Middle East; from Egypt to Iran, Iraq to Afghanistan and Israel to Saudi Arabia as well as an examination of the teetering U.S.-Turkey relationship by the Hudson Institute’s Zeyno Baran.
Also featured in the issue is an article by one of America’s legendary soldiers and counter-terrorist experts, Lt. Gen. William “Jerry” Boykin, USA (ret.). Boykin explains “Al Qaeda’s Enduring Appeal.” Other authors of note include Caroline Glick of The Jerusalem Post and David Wurmser, former Middle East advisor to Vice President Dick Cheney. America’s first Secretary of Homeland Security, Gov. Tom Ridge, is the subject of the issue’s “Perspective” interview.
For further information, contact Jim Colbert at 202-667-3900.
The Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs is an independent, non-profit, non-partisan, non-sectarian educational organization established in 1976 to educate the public on national and international security issues, including the importance of an effective U.S. defense capability and the key role of strategic allies, including Israel, to promote democratic values in the Middle East.