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Organisations for Policy Advice in Israel and their Impact on the Near and Middle East Policy

Carl Sunbourg

Since ancient times, rulers have sought policy advice from distinguished individuals. Institutionalised policy advice is a rather modern phenomenon that was first effective after the Second World War. Organisations for policy advice soon took special interest in major political conflicts, such as those in the Near and Middle East.

Institutionalised policy advice is located between the sphere of scientific research in the human and social sciences and the requirements of action in the political arena. This setting depends on the political system, as it varies between countries. In their different forms, that is, as inside government agencies or as free-standing non-profit organisations outside government, these organisations analyse and evaluate various fields of policy. When crucial decisions are to be made these institutions become policy entrepreneurs or risk professionals who advocate new ideas and develop proposals, define and reframe problems, specify policy opinion, and help set the decision-making agenda.

The focus of this article is the case study of organisations for policy advice in Israel, which are mainly working in the field of Near and Middle Eastern policies. It provides an analysis of how the landscape for policy advice came into being and what are its main characteristics. Attention is given to five free-standing non-profit organisations outside the Israeli government which are affiliated to various universities. They are:

in Tel Aviv:

• the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies

• the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies;

in Jerusalem:

• the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace

• the Leonard Davis Institute for International Relations; and

in Ramat Gan:

• the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies.

The article introduces these organisations and includes examples of their modus operandi.

The framework of action for these institutions is decisively determined by peculiarities of the Israeli political system and culture. These include the geopolitical setting of the Near and Middle East, the history and outcomes of the Arab-Israeli wars, a special Israeli understanding of security, changes from once collectivist pioneering society to a liberal society, and the shift from a predominantly one-party-system to a fragmented party-system – to name only the dominant factors.

Organisations for political advice both contribute to these changes and result from these developments. Institutionalised policy advice in the field of Near and Middle East policies has increased during the past two decades, and a further increase may be expected. This is despite a rather limited scope of action. These institutions generally lean to the left of the political spectrum, but there are also examples of institutes that lean to the right. However, to judge these institutes purely along the demarcation lines of the political spectrum is superficial. The importance of these institutes is their function as an interlocutor and mediator for political decision-makers, as well as the society at large. They are a major contributor to the safeguarding and further expansion of the open society.