10509 National Security and Democracy in Israel 1
Credits: 6 advanced credits in Political Science or in International Relations
Prerequisites: 36 credits, including Government and Politics in Israel. Students must also fulfill all English requirements and take bibliographic instruction in the Library.
Recommended: Democracies and Dictatorships: Comparative Politics2
The course is based on a reader edited by Benyamin Neuberger, Ilan Ben-Ami and Ariela Gross-Rophe; and on a collection of primary sources including Supreme Court rulings, laws, regulations and agreements.
The course discusses the problematic relations between security needs and democratic principles, particularly in Israel, which has experienced crisis situations and wars for decades.
Topics: Democracy and security; Israeli society’s attitude toward the army and militarism; Obeying the law and freedom of conscience; Censorship and freedom of speech; Democracy, the rule of law and the fight against terror; The Arab minority; The territories and Israeli democracy; Making policy for peace, security and war; Democracy and security in other countries; The ambiguous nuclear policy.
1Students may write a seminar paper in this course, although it is not required.
This course is also offered in Russian (42305). Its description is available on the Russian-language website of the Open University (https://www-r.openu.ac.il/).
There is some overlap in the content of this and other courses. For details, see Overlapping Courses.
2or Democracies and Dictatorships: Ideas, Contexts, Regimes (10660, 3 cr.) which is no longer offered.