Ronnie Olesker
St Lawrence University, Government, Faculty Member
- Securitization, International Relations, Israeli Politics, Israel/Palestine, International Law, International Relations of Middle East, and 8 moreIsraeli-Arab Relations, Conflict Reslution, Ethnic Studies, Desecuritization, Political Violence, Ethnicity & Ethnic Conflicts, Ethnic minorities, and Ethnicity and National Identityedit
- I use qualitative methods to study securitization of identities in ethnically divided states. I specialize in Israel Studies.edit
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This article examines the securitization of delegitimization as a national security threat in Israel. The article contains three elements. First, theoretically, it analyzes legitimacy as a national security asset and delegitimization as a... more
This article examines the securitization of delegitimization as a national security threat in Israel. The article contains three elements. First, theoretically, it analyzes legitimacy as a national security asset and delegitimization as a risk to ontological security. Second, it traces the Israeli response to delegitimization, providing an empirically rich account of this approach. Finally, it seeks to provide an assessment, albeit preliminary, of the effectiveness of the Israeli response. It concludes by discussing policy implications, emphasizing the benefits and counter-productive outcomes of an otherwise successful securitization process. Although Israel has had success curbing delegitimization with regard to political elites at the state level, it continues to lose ground with both the grassroots and Western liberal audiences.
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This article examines the interplay between identities, norms, and power transition in the HBO series Game of Thrones. Using discourse analysis of season seven's transcripts and viewing the show, I conclude that the most dominant themes... more
This article examines the interplay between identities, norms, and power transition in the HBO series Game of Thrones. Using discourse analysis of season seven's transcripts and viewing the show, I conclude that the most dominant themes to emerge are those related to identity and norms, in the context of hegemonic power transition. The season focuses on the impact of normative and ideational factors on how alliances operate and on the prospects of cooperation between alliances. I find that identity distributions across great powers impact the ability of characters to muster a successful challenge to the existing world order. Furthermore, I find that the survival of actors whose normative commitments are mismatched with their alliance is not guaranteed through the alliance. Thus, the show serves as an effective knowledge production site for exploring the consequences of power transition and alliance theory as power begins to transition in our own universe. Petyr Baelish: 'I imagine you've seen things most men wouldn't believe. To go through all of that and make your way home again only to find such chaos in the world, I can hardly imagine.' Bran Stark: 'Chaos is a ladder.' (Ep. 4 'Spoils of War'). Introduction:
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This article examines the securitization of delegitimization as a national security threat in Israel. The article contains three elements. First, theoretically, it analyzes legitimacy as a national security asset and delegitimization as a... more
This article examines the securitization of delegitimization
as a national security threat in Israel. The article contains three elements.
First, theoretically, it analyzes legitimacy as a national security asset
and delegitimization as a risk to ontological security. Second, it traces
the Israeli response to delegitimization, providing an empirically rich
account of this approach. Finally, it seeks to provide an assessment, albeit
preliminary, of the effectiveness of the Israeli response. It concludes by
discussing policy implications, emphasizing the benefits and counterproductive
outcomes of an otherwise successful securitization process.
Although Israel has had success curbing delegitimization with regard to
political elites at the state level, it continues to lose ground with both the
grassroots and Western liberal audiences.
as a national security threat in Israel. The article contains three elements.
First, theoretically, it analyzes legitimacy as a national security asset
and delegitimization as a risk to ontological security. Second, it traces
the Israeli response to delegitimization, providing an empirically rich
account of this approach. Finally, it seeks to provide an assessment, albeit
preliminary, of the effectiveness of the Israeli response. It concludes by
discussing policy implications, emphasizing the benefits and counterproductive
outcomes of an otherwise successful securitization process.
Although Israel has had success curbing delegitimization with regard to
political elites at the state level, it continues to lose ground with both the
grassroots and Western liberal audiences.
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Book chapter reexamines Israeli views of Obama as a presidential candidate in 2008 election cycle.
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The literature on securitisation provides surprisingly little clarifica- tion on the meaning of legitimacy and how it operates in the securitisation process. Scholars repeatedly employ the term, but seldom define it in the context of... more
The literature on securitisation provides surprisingly little clarifica- tion on the meaning of legitimacy and how it operates in the securitisation process. Scholars repeatedly employ the term, but seldom define it in the context of securitisation. This study seeks to contribute to critical security studies by developing a concep- tual analysis of the meaning of legitimacy in the securitisation process and to explore what happens when legitimacy itself becomes the referent object of securitisation. Legitimacy is not exogenous to the securitisation process. Does that mean that the securitisation of legitimacy is always, by default, successful or can we find cases in which the securitisation of legitimacy though successful, results in the opposite effect of delegitimisation. This study suggests that the securitisation of legitimacy may result in the loss of legitimacy caused by a securitisation dilemma. The securitisation dilemma refers to actions taken by an actor to securitise a referent object, but result in an increased threat to that referent object. To illustrate this perverse outcome, I examine the Israeli response to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Results indicate that while the BDS movement itself has not demonstrated effectiveness in delegitimising the Israeli state, the state’s actions in response to the movement, may have. 50 free prints are available through this link: http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/w28n4a5vrKmfNZPIrfpi/full
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This article examines the Israeli demand that Palestinians recognize it as a Jewish state and contextualizes this demand as part of a long ongoing process of securitizing its ethnic identity. Securitization theory tracks how... more
This article examines the Israeli demand that Palestinians recognize it as a Jewish state and contextualizes this demand as part of a long ongoing process of securitizing its ethnic identity. Securitization theory tracks how non-traditional issues of security, such as identity, become matters of national security policy. The main argument is that the Israeli demand was not merely a tactical ploy by the Netanyahu government to delay, and perhaps even derail, the peace process led by secretary of state John Kerry in 2013-2014, but rather part of a much broader securitization process. The applicability of securitization theory beyond its original model of the liberal nation state is also examined and the concept of “translation” is applied to demonstrate its applicability to cases such as Israel, where understandings of state and societies might differ from the European and American models on which the theory of securitization was first based.
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The main contention of this article is that ethnic majorities and minorities often perceive the social boundaries that separate them in different terms, and that this difference in perceptions has implications for the securitization of... more
The main contention of this article is that ethnic majorities and minorities often perceive the social boundaries that separate them in different terms, and that this difference in perceptions has implications for the securitization of the relations between them, as well as for conflict management and prevention approaches. We offer a typology of cases, which conceptualizes the relationship between the differing perceptions of social boundaries and lays the groundwork for hypotheses on the implications of these typologies for conflict management strategies
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This article seeks to demonstrate how discriminatory laws, passed in Israel since the eruption of the second intifada, are part of an ongoing securitization process of the Palestinian minority in Israel. These discriminatory laws serve as... more
This article seeks to demonstrate how discriminatory laws, passed in Israel since the eruption of the second intifada, are part of an ongoing securitization process of the Palestinian minority in Israel. These discriminatory laws serve as part of a security practice, employed by political elites that seek to represent threats to the hegemony of the Jewish identity as existential to national security. In doing so, the Israeli authorities advance a national security policy which perpetuates the perceived threat posed to the state by the Palestinian minority. The analysis focuses on discriminatory legislation passed between 2000 and 2012 by the Israeli Knesset and the political attitudes of the Israeli public before and after the second intifada to uncover the ways in which political actors and audiences negotiate the meaning of security in Israel. Securitization theory helps explain why desecuritization of the minority is highly unlikely even in the event that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will be resolved.
This article explores the role of law making in the securitization of ethnic identities in Israel. The article examines the laws passed and bills proposed between 2000 and 2011 by the Israeli Knesset. The evidence suggests that despite... more
This article explores the role of law making in the securitization of ethnic identities in Israel. The article examines the laws passed and bills proposed between 2000 and 2011 by the Israeli Knesset. The evidence suggests that despite consistent attempts at securitizing the ethnic identity of the state, those have, for the most part, failed. A brief comparison between Israel and other liberal democracies also reveals that the banality of securitization, i.e. the use of ordinary, rather than extraordinary measures in the securitization process, is not unique to Israel. This article demonstrates most clearly how the process of securitization contributes to the ease with which illiberal practices can creep into the democratic system without the need to resort to exceptional action.
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This article applies the concept of the societal security dilemma to ethnic relations in Israel. I argue that Jews and Arabs in Israel are locked in a regular societal security dilemma in which their identity security requirements are... more
This article applies the concept of the societal security dilemma to ethnic relations in Israel. I argue that Jews and Arabs in Israel are locked in a regular societal security dilemma in which their identity security requirements are incompatible and that the peace process between Israel and the Palestinian Authority has only served to exacerbate that incompatibility. The article highlights the process of securitization of identities, which is generally missing from the discussion of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and ethnic relations in Israel and suggests that the inclusion of the Palestinian minority in the peace process may mitigate ethnic tensions in Israel. Link to full article available below.
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This article examines the securitization of delegitimization as a national security threat in Israel. The article contains three elements. First, theoretically, it analyzes legitimacy as a national security asset and delegitimization as a... more
This article examines the securitization of delegitimization as a national security threat in Israel. The article contains three elements. First, theoretically, it analyzes legitimacy as a national security asset and delegitimization as a risk to ontological security. Second, it traces the Israeli response to delegitimization, providing an empirically rich account of this approach. Finally, it seeks to provide an assessment, albeit preliminary, of the effectiveness of the Israeli response. It concludes by discussing policy implications, emphasizing the benefits and counterproductive outcomes of an otherwise successful securitization process. Although Israel has had success curbing delegitimization with regard to political elites at the state level, it continues to lose ground with both the grassroots and Western liberal audiences.
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The Israeli perspectives on the US presidential elections are characterized by the dichotomy of perception and reality. That is to say, most of the Israeli perspective is based on perception rather than reality. Perception of the... more
The Israeli perspectives on the US presidential elections are characterized by the dichotomy of perception and reality. That is to say, most of the Israeli perspective is based on perception rather than reality. Perception of the candidates and their positions on Iran, the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, Israeli settlements, arms control, and the relationship each of the candidates would have with Israel, all these affected Israeli preferences. The dichotomy between perception and reality has also infiltrated the 2009 Israeli election campaigns of the parties and their leading candidates insofar as they presented themselves as the candidates of “change” or as those most likely to work well with the incoming Obama administration, despite the political realities that may indicate otherwise. This has been referred to as the “Obama effect.”1
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ABSTRACT
Research Interests: Law, International Relations, Multiculturalism, International Law, Human Rights, and 15 moreInternational organizations, Conflict, Political Science, Nationalism, Securitization, Diplomacy, Ethnicity, Judaism, Minority Rights, Peace, Ethnopolitics, Freedom, Ethnic Group, International Organizations, and Knesset
UMI, ProQuest ® Dissertations & Theses. The world's most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses. Learn more... ProQuest, The value of security vs. the security of values: The relationship between the rights of the... more
UMI, ProQuest ® Dissertations & Theses. The world's most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses. Learn more... ProQuest, The value of security vs. the security of values: The relationship between the rights of the minority and the security of the majority in Israel. ...
This study conceptually develops and analytically examines the role and function of diasporas as audiences in the securitization process by examining the American Jewish Diaspora in Israel's securitization of Boycott, Divestment, and... more
This study conceptually develops and analytically examines the role and function of diasporas as audiences in the securitization process by examining the American Jewish Diaspora in Israel's securitization of Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS). It argues that Israel's use of antisemitism as a metanarrative for the securitization of the BDS movement incorporates diasporic Jews as internal audiences in the securitization process. Audiences, however, are not monolithic. While homeland Jews, including both elites and the public, tend to support Israel's securitization process, American Jews are split; the elite support the process but public opinion is far less sympathetic to Israeli constructions of BDS as a threat. The disparity between audiences’ reactions weakens the support for Israel's counter-BDS policies and undermines its securitization process.
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This article examines the interplay between identities, norms and power transition in the HBO series Game of Thrones. Using discourse analysis of season 7’s transcripts and viewing the show, I conclude that the most dominant themes to... more
This article examines the interplay between identities, norms and power transition in the HBO series Game of Thrones. Using discourse analysis of season 7’s transcripts and viewing the show, I conclude that the most dominant themes to emerge are those related to identity and norms, in the context of hegemonic power transition. The season focuses on the impact of normative and ideational factors on how alliances operate and on the prospects of cooperation between alliances. I find that identity distributions across great powers impact the ability of characters to muster a successful challenge to the existing world order. Furthermore, I find that the survival of actors whose normative commitments are mismatched with their alliance is not guaranteed through the alliance. Thus, the show serves as an effective knowledge production site for exploring the consequences of power transition and alliance theory as power begins to transition in our own universe.
Research Interests:
This article seeks to demonstrate how discriminatory laws, passed in Israel since the eruption of the second intifada, are part of an ongoing securitization process of the Palestinian minority in Israel. These discriminatory laws serve as... more
This article seeks to demonstrate how discriminatory laws, passed in Israel since the eruption of the second intifada, are part of an ongoing securitization process of the Palestinian minority in Israel. These discriminatory laws serve as part of a security practice, employed by political elites that seek to represent threats to the hegemony of the Jewish identity as existential to national security. In doing so, the Israeli authorities advance a national security policy that perpetuates the perceived threat posed to the state by the Palestinian minority. The analysis focuses on discriminatory legislation passed between 2000 and 2012 by the Israeli Knesset and the political attitudes of the Israeli public before and after the second intifada to uncover the ways in which political actors and audiences negotiate the meaning of security in Israel. Securitization theory helps explain why desecuritization of the minority is highly unlikely even in the event that the Israeli–Palestinian c...
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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a conflict analysis framework that better captures the complexity of conflicts in divided societies by including the differing perceptions of identity boundaries between ethnic majorities... more
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a conflict analysis framework that better captures the complexity of conflicts in divided societies by including the differing perceptions of identity boundaries between ethnic majorities and minorities in divided societies. Design/methodology/approach – The analysis draws on the social boundaries and societal security literatures to develop a typology representing four dyads of perceived identity boundaries that illustrate the different dynamics of ethnic relations in divided societies. Findings – The exploratory cases illustrate how the perceptions of identity boundaries have implications for conflict dynamics that call for different conflict management strategies. Research limitations/implications – The empirical cases serve to illustrate the application of the theoretical framework. Policy makers devising conflict management strategies in these deeply divided societies are likely to err if differing perceptions of social boundari...
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The Obama era symbolized an unprecedented downward spiral in US–Israeli relations. In the short term, one can attribute the deterioration to the difficult, at times impossible, relationship between Obama and Netanyahu, who shared... more
The Obama era symbolized an unprecedented downward spiral in US–Israeli relations. In the short term, one can attribute the deterioration to the difficult, at times impossible, relationship between Obama and Netanyahu, who shared different political worldviews. Washington and Jerusalem clashed over the Israeli–Palestinian peace process and what to do with Iran’s nuclear program. However, these tensions did not appear to have had any impact on the US’s commitment to Israeli security or on its view of Israel as an important strategic ally. In the long run, however, the Obama era signals a shift in US demographics that is likely to have electoral consequences in the future. As a result, the “special” relationship may be “special” no more as changing public attitudes afford the US the freedom of political action to distance itself from, and at time even collide with, Israeli policies as Obama had done.
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The Movement and the Middle East: How The Arab-Israeli Conflict Divided the American Left. By Michael R. Fischbach. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2020). 297 pages. Paperback $26; and Hearts and Minds: Israel and the Battle for Public Opinion By Nachman Shai. New York: SUNY Press, 2019. 284...more
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... In an interview, Muhammed Zidan, the chair of the Arab High Follow-Up Committee, which drafted the Future Vision document, stated that the recognition of Israel as a Jewish state is a “red line that no Palestinian can accept.” 60 60.... more
... In an interview, Muhammed Zidan, the chair of the Arab High Follow-Up Committee, which drafted the Future Vision document, stated that the recognition of Israel as a Jewish state is a “red line that no Palestinian can accept.” 60 60. ...
Research Interests: Religion, History, Securitization, Diplomacy, Copenhagen School/Securitization, and 9 moreIslam, Ethnic Relations, Middle East, Societal Security, Language Culture and Communication, Middle Eastern Dances, Ethnic conflicts and ethno-nationalism politics, Israeli Palestinian Conflict, and Peaceful Conflict Resolution
... In an interview, Muhammed Zidan, the chair of the Arab High Follow-Up Committee, which drafted the Future Vision document, stated that the recognition of Israel as a Jewish state is a “red line that no Palestinian can accept.” 60 60.... more
... In an interview, Muhammed Zidan, the chair of the Arab High Follow-Up Committee, which drafted the Future Vision document, stated that the recognition of Israel as a Jewish state is a “red line that no Palestinian can accept.” 60 60. ...
Research Interests: Religion, History, Securitization, Diplomacy, Copenhagen School/Securitization, and 9 moreIslam, Ethnic Relations, Middle East, Societal Security, Language Culture and Communication, Middle Eastern Dances, Ethnic conflicts and ethno-nationalism politics, Israeli Palestinian Conflict, and Peaceful Conflict Resolution
The following is largely based on excerpts from our article titled: “Divided Societies and Identity Boundaries: A Conflict Analysis Framework,” forthcoming in International Journal of Conflict Management (accepted for publication August... more
The following is largely based on excerpts from our article titled: “Divided Societies and Identity Boundaries: A Conflict Analysis Framework,” forthcoming in International Journal of Conflict Management (accepted for publication August 27, 2013). We present here (as a working paper) our main framework for analysis and one of our case studies – focusing on the relationship between Ukraine and Crimea in the 1990s. In addition, we add some commentary relating our analysis to the current crisis in Crimea.
Research Interests: Russian Studies, Race and Ethnicity, Nationalism, Ethnicity, Russia, and 3 moreIdentity, Ukraine, and Crimea
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This book examines how the Zionist movement, and later the state of Israel, have dealt with various longstanding efforts to delegitimize Israel’s standing in the international community, including by the Arab League Boycott, the United... more
This book examines how the Zionist movement, and later the state of Israel, have dealt with various longstanding efforts to delegitimize Israel’s standing in the international community, including by the Arab League Boycott, the United Nations, and the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Through historical and archival research, as well as discourse analysis
of legal and governmental documents, public statements of Israeli officials, and interviews with Israeli policy makers, this book argues that Israel has constructed perceived and real challenges to its legitimacy as ontological threats that undermine its national security, and has securitized its Jewish identity in response to these threats. As a result, the state has adopted extraordinary measures, often marked by illiberalism. Rather than enhance Israel’s international legitimacy, these measures have undermined it further, especially among liberal audiences in the West, whose support is critical for Israel’s continued international legitimacy. Therefore, Israel is locked in a securitization dilemma—where actions taken to enhance its security through increased legitimacy result in further delegitimization. Highlighting the ways this securitization dilemma is at the heart of Israeli policymaking today—particularly in the context of the recent BDS movement—this book brings into focus key problems that Israel faces as it attempts to combat delegitimization movements against its self-constructed identity as a Jewish state.
This book will be of great interest to students, scholars, and policy makers engaged with critical security studies and delegitimization, Israeli studies and Jewish identity, and policymaking in the Middle East.
Through historical and archival research, as well as discourse analysis
of legal and governmental documents, public statements of Israeli officials, and interviews with Israeli policy makers, this book argues that Israel has constructed perceived and real challenges to its legitimacy as ontological threats that undermine its national security, and has securitized its Jewish identity in response to these threats. As a result, the state has adopted extraordinary measures, often marked by illiberalism. Rather than enhance Israel’s international legitimacy, these measures have undermined it further, especially among liberal audiences in the West, whose support is critical for Israel’s continued international legitimacy. Therefore, Israel is locked in a securitization dilemma—where actions taken to enhance its security through increased legitimacy result in further delegitimization. Highlighting the ways this securitization dilemma is at the heart of Israeli policymaking today—particularly in the context of the recent BDS movement—this book brings into focus key problems that Israel faces as it attempts to combat delegitimization movements against its self-constructed identity as a Jewish state.
This book will be of great interest to students, scholars, and policy makers engaged with critical security studies and delegitimization, Israeli studies and Jewish identity, and policymaking in the Middle East.