There is no other place in the world that is so conflict-ridden as the region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf. Since the foundation of Israel in 1949 hostility tremendously increased and made a small regional conflict become one of the major issues in international politics.
Particularly interesting is the involvement of the US in this conflict and its motivation to do so. Different interests have to be balanced, on the one hand economic interests in the oil flow from the Arab Gulf states and on the other hand the support of Israel as the only real ally to the US in that “sea of authoritarian regimes”, as one author puts it.
After the terrorist attacks in September 2001 the region has attracted much more attention by US politicians than ever before. The administration of George Bush jr. developed the concept of spreading peace and democracy in the Middle East in response to the terrorist attacks. Of special importance is the negotiation of a settlement of the Israeli-Palestininan conflict. Only if a lasting and, in the eyes of the Arab states, just peace is reached, will the US find support for its Middle East policy among the other countries of the region.
Reaching this aim means carefully exerting coercion to the conflict parties, but also offering incentives to them. Economic statecraft as a form of foreign policy is particularly important in this case.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
1.1. Defining the subject
2. Theoretical approach to economic statecraft
2.1. Economic Statecraft
2.2. Positive Sanctions
2.3. Negative Sanctions
3. Interdependence in the US-Israeli relationship
3.1. Assymetrical interdependence
3.2. Economic and military interdependence
3.2.1. Economic linkage
3.2.2. Military linkage
3.3. Political and ideological interdependence
4. The impact of sanctions in the peace process
4.1. Negative sanctions
4.2. Positive sanctions
4.3. Combination of positive and negative sanctions
5. Conclusions
6. Literature
7. Zusammenfassung / Abstract
Research Objectives and Themes
This paper aims to evaluate how the United States can effectively utilize the tools of economic statecraft to influence the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. It specifically examines the mechanisms and constraints of positive and negative sanctions within the complex, asymmetrical geopolitical relationship between the US and Israel.
- Theoretical foundations of economic statecraft, positive, and negative sanctions.
- Analysis of the asymmetrical interdependence characterizing US-Israeli relations.
- Evaluation of economic and military linkages as instruments of foreign policy.
- Assessment of the influence of domestic lobbying groups and ideological factors on US policy.
- Investigation into the effectiveness of a "carrots and sticks" approach in promoting regional stability.
Excerpt from the Book
4.3. Combination of positive and negative sanctions
In order to use positive sanctions effectively the US has to use power, too. Due to the assymetrical relationship with Israel, the US can indeed act from a powerful position. Positive sanctions “work best when they are offered from a position of strength” (Cortright, 2000: 4). If positive sanctions are linked with threats to abandon the incentive , Cortright calls it a policy of “mixing carrots and sticks” (Cortright, 2000: 4), the incentive is more likely to reach its inteded aim (Cortright, 2000: 4). Of course, the conditions in which case the positive sanction will be abandoned have to be formulated clearly.
This policy of “carrots and sticks” has already been used by the US in order to bring on the peace process. Especially in trying to influence Israeli settlement policy, which is a decisive issue in the peace process, the US has connected incentives with threats of abandoning them. When granting loan guarantees in 2003, the US linked this positive inducement with the condition that the money can not be spend on settlement construction in the occupied territories (Jewish Virtual Library, 2005b and Mark, 2004: 5). As Israel carried on enlarging its settlements in the conflicted areas, the US reduced loan guarantees by $289,5 million in 2003 (Mark, 2004: 5). Such punishment was already used in the 1990s, when the $10 billion loan guarantee by the first Bush administration was reduced by $774 million due to settlement construction (Mark, 2004: 4).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter contextualizes the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and outlines the research objective concerning the use of economic statecraft by the US.
2. Theoretical approach to economic statecraft: This section provides definitions of key concepts, specifically distinguishing between positive and negative sanctions.
3. Interdependence in the US-Israeli relationship: This chapter analyzes the asymmetrical dependency between the two nations, focusing on economic, military, and ideological ties.
4. The impact of sanctions in the peace process: This part investigates the effectiveness and limitations of employing negative and positive sanctions to influence Israeli policy.
5. Conclusions: The author summarizes the findings, concluding that while economic incentives are useful, they are constrained by strong lobbying interests and the ideological complexity of the conflict.
6. Literature: This section lists the academic monographs, anthologies, and sources used for the analysis.
7. Zusammenfassung / Abstract: A bilingual summary providing an overview of the arguments and findings presented in the paper.
Keywords
Economic Statecraft, Positive Sanctions, Negative Sanctions, US-Israeli Relations, Peace Process, Interdependence, Foreign Policy, Lobbying, AIPAC, Settlement Policy, Middle East, Geopolitics, Military Grants, Loan Guarantees, Carrots and Sticks.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary subject of this paper?
The paper explores the use of economic statecraft by the United States as a means to influence the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
What are the central themes of this research?
The core themes include the effectiveness of economic sanctions, the nature of the asymmetrical relationship between the US and Israel, and the role of domestic lobbying in shaping foreign policy.
What is the main research objective?
The objective is to determine how the US can successfully apply economic pressure and incentives to encourage progress in the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians.
Which scientific methodology is used?
The author employs a theoretical framework based on concepts by scholars such as David Baldwin, Randall E. Newnham, and Keohane and Nye to analyze the relationship and the effectiveness of sanction policies.
What does the main part of the work cover?
The main part covers the theoretical definitions of sanctions, a detailed analysis of the interdependence between the US and Israel, and an evaluation of how positive and negative sanctions have historically influenced Israeli political decisions.
Which keywords best characterize the work?
The work is characterized by terms like economic statecraft, sanctions, interdependence, US-Israeli relations, and the Middle East peace process.
How does the strong domestic lobby in the US affect the use of sanctions?
The paper argues that the powerful influence of the American Jewish lobby makes it politically very difficult for the US administration to implement negative sanctions against Israel, as Congress is unlikely to support policies perceived as harmful to Israeli interests.
Why are positive sanctions often ineffective at achieving specific policy changes?
The study finds that because positive sanctions are often given directly to the Israeli government without specific conditions, they are useful for building general interdependence but fail to act as effective coercive tools for specific political concessions.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Mathias Herrmann (Autor:in), 2005, How can the US promote the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians? An attempt to show the use of tools of economic statecraft., München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/39203
