On July 23, Charles Freilich, a former Israeli deputy national security advisor, discussed Israel's national security challenges and talked about his recent book "Israeli National Security: A New Strategy for an Era of Change" (Oxford, 2018), which lays out a comprehensive national security strategy for Israel. A long-time senior fellow at Harvard's Belfer Center, Dr. Freilich teaches political science at NYU, Columbia and Tel Aviv universities.

About the Talk

In a wide-ranging talk, Dr. Freilich surveyed Israel's current strategic landscape, focusing in particular on the major security threats posed by Iran and Hezbollah. He also discussed Israel's dependence on the United States and its relations with Russia and China. Freilich argued that Israel's national security strategy has been fundamentally successful and its strategic situation is much better today than it was in the past. Originally recorded July 23, 2020.

Event co-sponsored by the UCLA Department of Political Science, UCLA Department of Public Policy, and the Murray Galinson San Diego-Israel Initiative.

About the Speakers

Professor Chuck Freilich, a former deputy national security adviser in Israel and long-time senior fellow at Harvard's Belfer Center, teaches political science at Columbia, NYU and Tel Aviv universities. He is the author of Zion's Dilemmas: How Israel Makes National Security Policy (Cornell Press, 2012); Israeli National Security: A New Strategy for an Era of Change (Oxford Press, 2018); and Israel and the Cyber Threat: How the Startup Nation Became a Global Cyber Power (forthcoming, 2020). He appears frequently as a commentator on U.S., Israeli and international television and radio stations.

Dov Waxman (moderator)  holds the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation Chair in Israel Studies at UCLA and is the director of the UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies. He is the author of four books, including Trouble in the Tribe: The American Jewish Conflict over Israel (Princeton, 2016), and most recently, The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: What Everyone Needs to Know (Oxford, 2019).