The paradox of Israeli power

Israel's national security doctrine has become obsolete. While Israel enjoys unprecedented military superiority over its enemies, the security of Israelis is at an all-time low, and a nuclear threat, primarily from Iran, is on the rise. This paradoxical situation stems from a failure to adjust Israel's security doctrine to regional, global and technological changes since the mid-1970s. Four major components of this doctrine in particular are inadequate to contemporary challenges: the traditional strategic triumvirate of deterrence, strategic warning and swift battlefield decision; the concept of the Israeli Defense Force as the 'people's army'; Israel's nuclear policy; and the correlation between diplomacy and use of force as a means to reduce threats.