ethnonational politics. Applying the ethnonational framework helped
me to better understand the behavior of the Jewish state. It was
against this background that I discovered a dearth of literature in this
realm of international relations that reflected either neglect or
misinterpretation of the national dimension in understanding foreign
policy.

Ethnonationalism is an important variable in foreign policy
behavior. It is an integral part of the modern nation-state, and is
related to the modernization process and modern understandings of
the right of self-determination. But most important, ethnonationalism
is not congruent with the state and sometimes even contradicts the
interests of the state.

At the time I completed this book, the Likud was defeated at the
polls and Labor returned to power. It is too early to predict whether
the June 23, 1992 election marked a turning point in Israeli politics.
But whatever direction Israeli foreign policy takes in the future,
students of international politics, in general, and Israeli foreign
policy, in particular, must learn not to confuse or ignore the unique
role of both the state and the nation in foreign policy. Each has its
own rationale and origins, and each must be weighed in political
analysis.

Many people have contributed directly or indirectly to the evo-
lution of this book. Out of a long list, I would like to specifically
mention those who had the patience and forbearance to read the
manuscript and make valuable suggestions. I would like to thank my
colleagues Daniel J. Elazar and Stuart Cohen for their comments on
the manuscript. Bernard Susser read the theoretical chapter and
made helpful comments. Ben Mollov edited large portions of the
manuscript and made valuable suggestions. The Jerusalem Center
provided the intellectual as well as the esthetic environment for
writing this book. My special thanks to its Director General, Zvi R.
Marom, for his firm support of this project. I would also like to thank
Mark Ami-El and Andrea Arbel of the Jerusalem Center for Public
Affairs for their technical assistance in preparing this book for
publication. Finally, my wife Channa and my daughters, as usual,
made many adjustments to allow me to complete this project and I
thank them all for their patience.

Shmuel Sandler

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