Global Zero: An Israeli Vision of Realistic Idealism

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In The Media

Global Zero: An Israeli Vision of Realistic Idealism

While Israel is likely sympathetic to the idea of achieving a world without nuclear weapons, it remains agnostic about the prospects of a nuclear-free world and realistic about the complicated process.

By Ariel (Eli) Levite

Published on Apr 30, 2010

Source: The Washington Quarterly

Global Zero: An Israeli Vision of Realistic IdealiTrying to portray the Israeli outlook on a nuclear-free world presents a formidable challenge. The issue is not merely the inability to access the inner thoughts of the government, considering that no official statements on the issue are available. More fundamentally, the challenge is to validly portray a national view on an issue that has not really captured the attention of the Israeli government, let alone yielded a coherent policy formulation on it. It is, however, feasible to reflect on some factors that may explain why the renewed international interest in a nuclear-weapons-free world has thus far failed to register in Israel.

To this end, it is useful to pull together some of the basic tenets that underlie the core Israeli outlook on disarmament and, from them, infer some propositions that would probably factor in any Israeli consideration of arms control and disarmament initiatives, including Global Zero. The ultimate result is, nevertheless, bound to be both tentative as well as very personal and should be treated as such. Ultimately, the key questions are: what are Israel's views on a nuclear-weapons-free world? And what role, if any, would it be likely to play in the Global Zero campaign presently underway?

About the Author

Ariel (Eli) Levite

Senior Fellow, Nuclear Policy Program, Technology and International Affairs Program

Levite was the principal deputy director general for policy at the Israeli Atomic Energy Commission from 2002 to 2007.

Recent Work

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Nuclear Policy Nuclear Energy Middle East Israel

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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