The Strategy of Resistance: Asymmetric Deterrence and Middle East Conflicts
Speaker: Daniel Sobelman, Assistant Professor of International Relations, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
In contemporary Middle Eastern politics, the term "resistance" connotes a strong anti-Western, pro-Iranian, geo-political, and ideological orientation. But in addition to representing a quest for a new regional order, "resistance" has come to signify a coherent strategy of asymmetric intra-war deterrence. As a strategic approach, "resistance" has been pursued, among other places, in conflict areas such as Lebanon, the Gaza Strip, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Iran. This seminar will discuss the regional diffusion of "resistance" as an asymmetric strategy, a fact that has led to multiple attempts to employ it. Drawing on various case studies, the seminar will explain the within- and between-case variation in the different "resistance" actors' ability to constrain and deter their militarily superior adversaries.
Everyone is invited to join us via Zoom! Please register in advance for this seminar: https://harvard.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUrcO6rrD0sH91wcgu0ZlEQ4u-QmaVuoau0
