Louis René Beres
ARTICLES BY: Louis René Beres
What American Policymakers Don’t Understand About War in the Middle East
For the American president, it’s time to understand that purposeful war with Iran requires more than belligerent rhetoric and hyperbolic threats. No matter how vigorously...
After the Iran War, How the US and Israel Must Manage Nuclear Risk
No matter what US President Donald Trump may call his Iran peace plan, it will be limited in duration and irrelevant to American and Israeli...
How Israel’s Shift from ‘Deliberate Ambiguity’ to ‘Selective Disclosure’ Could Prevent a Catastrophic War
Though it might seem counter-intuitive, Israel needs specific enhancements to its strategic deterrence posture. Among other things, these necessary enhancements center on nuclear doctrine and...
‘All Time Is Unredeemable’: A Core Message for Israel
"If all time is eternally present, all time is unredeemable." — T.S. Eliot, Burnt Norton Behind the current noise about Iran, Hamas, America, Russia, Turkey, Qatar,...
Israel Has the Legal Right — and Moral Responsibility — to Protect Itself From Terrorism and Jihadi Warfare
In legal terms, intentional acts of injustice call for self-protection. Now faced with multiplying jihadi foes, the State of Israel has a corollary obligation to punish...
What Does International Law Say About Recognizing a Current State of ‘Palestine’?
All state recognitions of “Palestine” to date have failed to meet even a single one of the four Montevideo Convention requirements. Those national governments now expressing their...
What Trump’s Peace Plan Gets Wrong About Hamas
Despite his successful effort to release the hostages, Donald Trump’s plan for peace in the Middle East is destined to fail. Among other things, the...
Is This Really a ‘Peace’ Agreement? History Says No
Whatever else is offered under the Israel-Hamas agreement, offering Palestinian statehood would undermine authoritative international law. To wit, beyond any reasonable doubt, both the Palestinian...
Israel Is Always Rolling the Rock Up the Hill — But Is That a Bad Thing?
Sometimes, truth is counterintuitive. For Israel, insights of classical mythology could help to understand the country’s survival options. From ancient Greece, Jerusalem could learn that Olympian...
The Legal Responsibility for the War in Gaza Belongs to Hamas
Seeing may require distance. Though it could first appear that Palestinian suffering in Gaza is the result of indiscriminate or “disproportionate” Israeli military operations, a...
Why a State of ‘Palestine’ Would Not Remain Demilitarized
France, Spain, Ireland, and Norway have recently announced plans to recognize “Palestine” as a fully-sovereign state. Though these plans may be well-intentioned, they nonetheless disregard...
After the Recent War with Iran, Should Israel’s Bomb Stay ‘In the Basement’?
In war, short-term operational success does not necessarily support long-term survival outcomes. Despite achieving its immediate goals during the “Twelve-Day War,” Israel will still have to...
Here Is Exactly Why Israel’s War Against Hamas Is Legal — and Required — By International Law
Israel has always had to navigate “new waves.” Today, however, separate but force-multiplying “seas” of jihadi terrorism and Iranian nuclearization define an existential threat. To...
Israel and Its Jihadist Adversaries Have Different Concepts of Time; Here’s Why That Matters
Whether the objective is war-winning, war-avoidance, or counter-terrorism, Israel should always assess its survival options “in time.” In essence, the Jewish State’s policy makers need to...
