United States Institute of Peace - November 1, 2002 - Back to Resources Page

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Far from being a passive implementer of policy, the Israeli military has been a major
catalyst in embarking on the road to peace as well as the path to war. Such a high
level of policy influence is uncharacteristic of the military in advanced democracies.
However, it has been typical of political-military relations in Israel and has become
even more pronounced in the past decade.

Indeed, the changing nature of warfare in Israel and elsewhere has led to the
emergence of a “political-military partnership” in which the military is no longer
outside the policymaking process. At the constitutional level, formal decisions are
still ostensibly made by elected political leaders. But in practice there is another, concealed,
level at which the professional officer class is deeply involved in policymaking.
In fact, the military is an equal partner in the policy process.

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United States Institute of Peace - November 1, 2002 - Back to Resources Page