This course is a comprehensive introduction to the study of Israel’s nuclear history and policy within the broader context of understanding the nuclear dimension of Middle East politics. The course focuses on the uniqueness and the exceptionality that constitutes Israel’s nuclear history and policy. By that uniqueness we mean the original policy which Israel devised to acquire and possess nuclear weapons that ultimately made Israel an exceptional case both vis-à-vis the United States non-proliferation policies and vis-a-vis the non-proliferation regime. That policy is known as Israel’s policy of “nuclear opacity” or “nuclear ambiguity,” under which Israel has never officially acknowledged to acquire or possess nuclear weapons, even though since 1970s Israel is universally presumed as a nuclear weapons state. The course ends with reflections about challenge that Israel’s nuclear uniqueness poses both to the United States nonproliferation policy and the non-proliferation regime as a whole.

Schedule
6:00pm-9:00pm on Friday at MRSE B206 (Sep 27, 2024 to Sep 27, 2024)
9:00am-5:00pm on Saturday at MRSE B206 (Sep 28, 2024 to Sep 28, 2024)
9:00am-3:00pm on Sunday at MRSE B206 (Sep 29, 2024 to Sep 29, 2024)
6:00pm-9:00pm on Friday at MRSE B206 (Oct 18, 2024 to Oct 18, 2024)
9:00am-5:00pm on Saturday at MRSE B206 (Oct 19, 2024 to Oct 19, 2024)
9:00am-3:00pm on Sunday at MRSE B206 (Oct 20, 2024 to Oct 20, 2024)
Location
Morse B206
Instructors