Conversations with History: Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley

See the Conversations with History Blog See a webcast of this interview: Lustick See also the 2006 Lustick interview: Trapped in the War on Terror

This interview is part of the Institute's "Conversations with History" series, and uses Internet technology to share with the public Berkeley's distinction as a global forum for ideas.

Welcome to a Conversation with History. I'm Harry Kreisler of the Institute of International Studies. Our guest today is Ian Lustick, who is Professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of several books, including Unsettled States, Disputed Lands, and For the Land and the Lord: Jewish Fundamentalism in Israel.

1. Background ... influence of parents ... arguing about politics and the Middle East ... thinking about appearances vs. reality ... Brandeis University ... impact of the protest against Vietnam War
2. Studying Comparative Politics and the Middle East ... realizing the complexity of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ... commitment to teaching ... identifying the puzzle ... need for theory ... doing social science ... why the cases of Algeria and Ireland are relevant ... scientific investigation as the basis for policy and moral commitment ... Israel's options
3. Israel ... pre-1967 Israel ... consequences of 1967 war ... emergence of religious fundamentalists ... Likud annexation strategy ... why the policy will fail ... no rational arguments ... Palestinian demography and nationalism
4. U.S. Policy and the Israel - Palestine Conflict ... engagement/disengagement cycle ... foreign policy according to Madison ... consequences ... success of the Israeli lobby ... unilateralism of the U.S ... failure of the Clinton summit ... Taba and the Clinton parameters ... failure to establish the hegemony of the idea of annexation ... rolling the dice ... the role of violence ... necessary changes in U.S. policy
5. Lessons Learned ... learning is painful ... satisfaction of intellectual engagement ... science and passion ... good science is available to both sides ... advice to students

See Ian Lustick's photos from Israel & Palestine.

See also the webcast of the lecture by Ian Lustick for course, "Issues in Foreign Policy after 911": The US and the Islamic World II: Israel - Palestine Conflict (March, 2002)

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