Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Glossary
- Part I Setting the scene
- Part II Appearances and reality
- Part III The fallacies of Realpolitik
- Part IV Sectarian interests and a façade of generality
- Part V God's dispositions
- Part VI The boundaries of the intelligentsia
- 17 Canaanites and Semites
- 18 Magnes, Buber and Ihud (Unity)
- 19 The divided heritage: Israel's diplomatic tradition
- Notes
- Index
19 - The divided heritage: Israel's diplomatic tradition
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 December 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Glossary
- Part I Setting the scene
- Part II Appearances and reality
- Part III The fallacies of Realpolitik
- Part IV Sectarian interests and a façade of generality
- Part V God's dispositions
- Part VI The boundaries of the intelligentsia
- 17 Canaanites and Semites
- 18 Magnes, Buber and Ihud (Unity)
- 19 The divided heritage: Israel's diplomatic tradition
- Notes
- Index
Summary
Furthermore, that form of government can help only those who wish to live by themselves without any external negotiations, being enclosed within their borders, and living separate from the whole world, but it is of no avail whatsoever to those who must negotiate with others.
Baruch Spinoza, Theological-Political ArticleI do not hesitate to say that it is especially in the conduct of their foreign relations that democracies appear to me decidedly inferior to other government.
de Tocqueville, Democracy in AmericaThus saith the Lord: Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.
Jeremiah VI. 16Studying the statesmanship of the past shows that the way a nation behaves in matters of war and peace is not totally detached from the lessons of history, and that it may be beneficial to examine them. Huizinga, the renowned Dutch historian, noted that history is merely our way of interpreting the meaning of the past. The basis of a political tradition lies in a permanent outlook that is not affected by each passing event. That constitutes the essence of the historical and ideological heritage that a nation passes on through the generations, one that is acquired through a long process of trial and error, successes and failures. A political tradition cannot always serve as a guide for solving the problems of the present, but we know that the greatness of statesmen often derives from their ability to find a path through a situation that is complex and confusing without betraying the principles that underlie their nation´s political ideals.
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- Information
- Zionism and the Foundations of Israeli Diplomacy , pp. 357 - 389Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1998