Book Reviews : The Foreign Policy System of Israel, Setting, Images, Process. Michael Brecher. Oxford University Press. 690 pages Appendices — Index. £7.00
| Date | 01 August 1972 |
| Published date | 01 August 1972 |
| DOI | 10.1177/004711787200400316 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
320
International
Conciliation.
Jean-Pierre
Cot.
With
a
Foreword
by
Madeleine
Suzanne
Bastid.
Europa
Publications.
£4.50.
$13.95.
Professor
Pierre
Cot
has
made
a
profound
and
far-reaching
study
of
the
theory
and
practice
of
conciliation
in
international
disputes.
At
the
start
of
his
investigation
into
the
&dquo;varied
and
complex
procedures
of
inter-
national
conciliation&dquo;
he
emphasises
that
it
is
a
delicately
balanced
procedure
of limited
scope.
Though
an
essential
component
in
the
mechanism
of
conciliation,
the
absence
of
any
individual
political
authority
is
at
one
and
the
same
time
a
condition
of
success
and
a
serious
handicap
in
a
society
still
dominated
by
power
relationship.
But
it
is
once
more
&dquo;in
fashion&dquo;
and
should
be
rigorously
examined
to
assess
its
usefulness
on
the
contemporary
scene.
He
emphasises
that
it
is
a
method
that
depends
entirely
upon
the
good
will
of
sovereign
states
and
that,
in
general,
it
is
most
successful
in
minor
disputes
of
a
&dquo;legal&dquo;
nature,.
But
he
points
out
that
there
have
been
recent
examples
such
as
the
armistice
agreements
between
Israel
and
the
Arab
States
and
the
Indonesian
negotions
where
the
method
has
been
used
with
success.
On
the
other
hand
attempts
to
mediate
in
the
Kashmir
dispute
have,
so
far
at
least,
come
to
nothing,
as
far
as
can
be
judged.
Three
short
introductory
chapters
cover
a
definition
of
the
subject
matter,
sociological
elements,
and
the
lessons
to
be
drawn
largely
from
private
Industrial
law.
Two-thirds
of
the
remainder
is
devoted to
a
study
of
the
practice
in
bilateral
conciliation
and
the
final
chapters
deal
with
con-
ciliation
in
international
organizations,
United
Nations
practice.
and
pro-
cedures
used
within
the
Council
of
ICAO,
the
&dquo;Panels&dquo;
of
GATT,
the
com-
mittens
set
up
by
UNCTAD
and
the
Commissions
of
Inquiry
of
the
ILO.
The
work
is
very
well
translated
in
vigorous
prose
by
R.
Myers
and
will
certainly
prove
to
be
the
standard
modern
work
on
the
subject.
The
Foreign
Policy
System
of
Israel,
Setting,
Images,
Process.
Michael
Brecher.
Oxford
University
Press.
690
pages
Appendices
— Index.
£7.00.
Professor
Brecher
writes
from
a
background
of
extensive
research
on
foreign
policy
and
international
politics,
added
to
a
particularly
wide
knowledge
of
Asian
problems.
Professor
of
Political
Science
at
McGill
University,
he
is
aft
present
Visiting
Professor
of
International
Relations
at
the
Hebrew
University
of
Jerusalem.
The
reasons
which
have
influenced
his
choice
for
this
study
are
that
Israel
presents
a
unique
instance
of
a
newly-formed
state
which
has,
from
the
moment
of
its
birth,
been
the
focus
of intense
international
activity.
Moreover,
it
acts,
in
a
sense,
in
isolation
from
world
events
while
being
beleaguered
by
states
which,
potentially
at
least,
will
shortly
be
some
of
the
most
powerful
financially,
and
as
prime
sources
of
energy,
on
the
inter-
national
scene.
In
his
Introduction
the
author
writes
&dquo;the
dynamics,
processes
and
decisions
of
foreign
policy
can,
I
believe,
be
explored
most
rewardingly
within
the
context
of
a
total
Foreign
Policy
System,
and
that
framework
requires
careful
atention
to
the
Setting
or
Operational
Environment
of
policy
comprising,
among
others,
military
capability,
the
economy,
the
polity,
interest
groups
and
competing
elites,
as
well
as
the
external
dimension&dquo;.
The
book
is
divided
into
three
parts.
Part
I
deals
with
the
operational
environment,
economic
and
political;
Part
II
with
the
psychological
environment
and
Part
III
with
the
formulation
of
policy
decisions
and
their
implementation.
The
Conclusion
draws
together
the
threads
of
the
author’s
survey,
in
minute
detail,
of
the
first
20
years
of
Israeli
independence.
&dquo;In
summary,
during
her
first
two
decades
Israel
made
massive
progress
in
military
and
economic
capability,
both
absolutely
and
relative
to
the
combined
strength
of
her
Arab
adversaries.
Moreover,
she
mastered
the
problems
of
nation-
building
and
attained
impressive
social
cohesion.
Throughout,
her
political
system
has
been
an
island
of
democracy
in
a
sea
of
authoritarianism.
And
few
societies
hgve
attained
her
level
of
humanism,
social
equality,
individual
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