Kobi Michael

 

BIO

Dr. Kobi Michael is Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Strategic Affairs at the Prime Minister’s Office (Israel). Dr. Michael is also a professor of conflict resolution and strategy at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Senior Research Fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies (JIIS). His scholarly focus is principally on the strategic decision-making process derived from the dialogue and interaction between the military and political echelons — strategic aspects of civil-military relations. Dr. Michael has previously served as a senior advisor on the Israeli National Security Council and 23 years as a senior officer in IDF Intelligence. He was among the founders and the commanders of the Israeli-Palestinian security coordination apparatuses in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, following the "Oslo" Agreement.

 

He is a recipient of the Tshetshik Prize (2005) for the best research on Israel National Security, 2006 Itzhak Sade Prize for military literature for a book in which he contributed three chapters and the Yariv Award (2002) for the best research on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Recently, he received the Israeli Political Science Association’s prize for the best book of the year (2008-9) Between Militarism and Statesmanship in Israel, Tel-Aviv University Press, 2008. His recent book The Transformation of the World of War and Peace Support Operations was published by PSI in March 2009.

 

Dr. Michael has published and edited eight books and published more than 40 articles, monographs and books’ chapters about variety of topics in his academic and professional expertise.

PUBLICATIONS

Books

The Transformations in the World of War and Peace Support Operations (co-editing with David Kellen and Eyal Ben-Ari). Praeger Security International (PSI – Greenwood Publication Group USA) 2009.

Between Militarism and Statesmanship in Israel: Military Influence on Peace Processes,Tel-Aviv University Press, Tel-Aviv, 2008 (the English version will be published later by Sussex Press following the cooperation agreement between both university publications).

The Arab Peace Initiative – A Historic Opportunity? Background, Meanings, and Possible Avenues of Exploration.The Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, Jerusalem, 2007.

Stabilizing the Israeli-Palestinian Bi-level conflict Zone - Considerations for a Multinational Peace Support Operation(co-editing with David Kellen). The Truman Institute for the Advancement of Peace – the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2007.

Old Conflict, New Challenges – Peace-building in Israeli-Palestinian Relations.(co-editing with Sean Byrne, James Fergusson and Eyal Ben-Ari), Bison Paper 8, University of Manitoba Winnipeg Canada, January 2006.

A Fence around Jerusalem – The Construction of the Security Fence ("Separation Fence") Around Jerusalem – General Background and Implications for the City and its Metropolitan Area(co-author: Amnon Ramon). Jerusalem: The Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies 2004 (Hebrew and English).

International Involvement in Jerusalem – Conceptual Background and Implications.The Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, 2003.

Analysis of International Involvement Alternatives for the Holy Basin in Jerusalem(co-author: Moshe Hirsh). The Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, 2003.

 

Articles and Other Publications

“Conceptualizing Extra-Institutional Control; of the Military: Israel As a Case Study.” (co-author Yagil levy), Res Militaris (forthcoming 2011).

“Contemporary Peace Support Operations: The Primacy of the Military and Internal Contradictions,” (co-author Eyal Ben-Ari), Armed Forces & Society, 2011 (forthcoming).

"Militarily Statesmanship or Political Militarism – Who really Shapes the National Security Strategy in Israel?", The Public Sphere, Vol. 4, Tel-Aviv University, Winter 2010, pp. 110-130.

"Who Really Dictates What an Existential Threat Is", the Journal of Strategic Studies, Vol. 32, Issue 5, October 2009, pp. 687–713.

“The Second Lebanon War in the Mirror of Weak Civilian Control and Strategic-Intellectual Leadership”, in POLITIKA issue 17, The Leonard Davis Institute for International Relations, Jerusalem, Winter 2008, pp. 131-154.

“The Dilemma behind the Classical Dilemma of Civil-Military Relations - The “Discourse Space” Model and the Israeli Case during the Oslo Process”, Armed Forces & Society, Vol. 33, No. 4, July 2007, pp. 518-546.

“The Israeli Defense Force as an Epistemic Authority - An Intellectual Challenge in the Reality of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict”. The Journal of Strategic Studies Vol. 30, No. 3, June 2007, pp. 421-446.

Israeli-Palestinian Bi-level Conflict Zone and Its Implications for International Intervention: What Went Wrong and What Can be Done? The Pearson Papers - Measures of Effectiveness: Peace Operations and Beyond, Vol. 10, Issue 1, May 2007, pp. 60-90.

“Military Knowledge and Weak Civilian Control in the Reality of Low Intensity Conflict – The Israeli Case”. The Journal of Israel Studies, Vol. 12, No. 1, Spring 2007, pp. 28-52. 

Israeli-Palestinian Joint Patrols in Gaza, 1994-96: A Forgone Failure? Jerusalem: The Harry. S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, A Gitelson Publication Series, 29, August 2004.

Was it or not? Why has the Israeli-Palestinian Security Cooperation Model Failed? A Personal Retrospective View of a Hope without a Prospect - May 1994 – September 2000.Jerusalem: The Davis Institute Publications, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem 2003.

 

Chapters in Books

“The Geo-political Environment as A Strategic Barrier of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict”, in Barriers to Peace in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, edited by Yaacov Bar-Siman-Tov, The Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, Jerusalem: 2010, pp. 389-408.

“Military Knowledge and Weak Civilian Control in the Reality of Low Intensity Conflict – The Israeli Case”, in Militarism and Israeli Society, edited by Gabriel Sheffer and Oren Barak, Indiana Press University, 2010.

"Wars and Peace Support Operations in the Contemporary World: Conceptual Clarifications and Suggestions" (co-author Eyal Ben-Ari), in Transformations in the World of Warfare and Peace Support Operations, edited by Kobi Michael, David Kellen and Eyal Ben-Ari, Praeger Security International (PSI), 2009, pp. 1-20

"Peacekeeping and Cultural Intelligence" (co-author David Kellen), in Transformations in the World of Warfare and Peace Support Operations, edited by Kobi Michael, David Kellen and Eyal Ben-Ari, Praeger Security International (PSI), 2009, pp. 260-287.

Israel – Militaristic Statesmanship or Political Militarism – The IDF As An Epistemic Authority Regarding Central Issues of National Security:, in Ephraim Lavie (ed.), 40 Years of Occupation: The Effects on Israeli Society, The Tami Steinmetz Center for Peace Research, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv: 2009, pp. 125-141.

"When the Authority Bends in front of the Source of Knowledge", in An Army that Has A State? New Approaches to Civil-Security Relations in Israel, edited by Gabi Shefer, Oren Barak, and Amiram Oren, Carmel Publication, Jerusalem, 2008, pp. 121-146.

"Jerusalem as A Barrier in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict" (co-author: Yaacov Bar-Siman-Tov), in Ora Ahimeir and Yaacov Bar-Siman-Tov (eds.), Forty Years in Jerusalem 1967-2007, The Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, Jerusalem, 2008, pp. 459-470.

“Doing the Right Thing the Right WAY; The Challenges of Military Mission Effectiveness in Peace Support Operations in a “War Amongst the People” Theater”, in Cees, M. Coops and Szvircsev Tibor Tresch (eds.) Cultural Challenges in Military Operations. NATO Defense College, Research Division, Rome, (2007d), pp. 254-263.

"International Intervention in the Israeli-Palestinian Bi-Level Conflict Zone: What Went Wrong and What Can be Done" (co-author David Kellen), in Kobi Michael and David Kellen (eds.), Stabilizing the Israeli-Palestinian Bi-level conflict Zone - Considerations for a Multinational Peace Support Operation,The Truman Institute for the Advancement of Peace – the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2007, pp. 18-39.

“The Israeli-Palestinian Violent Confrontation: An Israeli Perspective” (co-author Y. Bar Siman-Tov, E. Lavie and D. Bar-Tal), in Yaacov Bar Siman-Tov (ed.), The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: From Conflict Resolution To Conflict Management, Palgrave-Macmillan, New York: 2007, pp. 69-100. The Hebrew version of this book won 2006 Itzhak Sade Prize for military literature.

“The Interaction between the Military Echelon and the Political Echelon in the Management of the Israeli-Palestinian Confrontation”, in Yaacov Bar Siman-Tov (ed.), The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: From Conflict Resolution To Conflict Management, Palgrave-Macmillan, New York: 2007, pp. 101-132. The Hebrew version of this book won 2006 Itzhak Sade Prize for military literature.

“The Israeli Disengagement Plan as a Conflict Management Strategy” (together with Y. Bar Siman-Tov), in Yaacov Bar Siman-Tov ed., The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: From Conflict Resolution To Conflict Management, Palgrave-Macmillan, New York: 2007, pp. 261-282. The Hebrew version of this book won 2006 Itzhak Sade Prize for military literature.

“Special Regime in the Historic Basin – The Security Dimension: Possible Models”, in Amnon Ramon (ed.), The Historic Basin – Problems and Possible Solutions, Jerusalem, The Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, 2007, pp. 160-169.

 “Israel and the Arab Initiative – Between Prospect and Risk”, inKobi Michael (ed.), The Arab Peace Initiative – A Historic Opportunity? Background, Meanings, and Possible Avenues of Exploration, The Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, Jerusalem, 2007., pp. 97-103.

“International Involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian Arena: From an International Force to a Mechanism for Regional Stabilization” (co-author: Eyal Ben-Ari), in Sean Byrne, James Fergusson, Eyal Ben-Ari and Kobi Michael (eds.),Old Conflict, New Challenges – Peace-building in Israeli-Palestinian Relations, Editor, Bison Paper 8, University of Manitoba Winnipeg Canada, January 2006, pp. 45-64.

“Civil-Military Relations – Between Theory and Practice”, in Pinchas Yehezkely (ed.), Reciprocation between The Civil-Political and the Military Echelons. The Broadcast University Library, National Security Series, The National Defense College, The Ministry of Defense Publication, 2005, pp. 51-63.

“Civil-Military Relations – The Israeli Case”, in Pinchas Yehezkely (ed.), Reciprocation between The Civil-Political and the Military Echelons. The Broadcast University Library, National Security Series, The National Defense College, The Ministry of Defense Publication, 2005, pp. 64-74.

“The End of the Deterministic Distinction – The Era of Low Intensity Conflict as a Paradigmatic Challenge for Civil-Military Relations in the Democratic State”, in Hagai Golan and Shaul Shay(eds.), The Limited Conflict, Maa'rachot, Tel-Aviv, 2004, pp. ‫201-238 (Hebrew).

 

Work in Progress

“Civil-Military Relations and the Territorial Dimension in Israel.” (together with Amiram Oren).

Transformations of Warfare and their Implications over Military Professionalism(temporary title – co-editing with Uzi Ben-Shalom) – accepted for publication by Routledge – Military, Strategic and Security Studies – forthcoming 2012).