Israel celebrates its 75^th anniversary this month in a state of outward strength and internal turmoil. Militarily, it’s the strongest state in the region. Diplomatically, it’s made major gains in its long-sought relations with Arab states. Its internal politics, however, have turned bitter and divisive in a public dispute over the nature of Israeli democracy.

On the occasion of the anniversary, our next speaker, Professor Robert O. Freedman, will take a critical look at a key element of Israel’s foreign relations – its ties with Russia.

Russia has provided military and diplomatic support to Israel’s enemies over the past 75 years, and it’s given direct and indirect aid to terror groups that attacked Israel. Russia is now locked in an ever-closer relationship with Iran, which seeks Israel’s destruction. Yet after Russia invaded Ukraine last year and turned to Iran to supply lethal attack drones, Israel has offered minimal military assistance to the victim of aggression. Indeed, since the rise of Vladimir Putin, Dr. Freedman asserts in a new paper, Israel has been the junior partner in the relationship, giving Russia much more than it has received in return.

His thesis is carefully grounded and is well worth hearing and debating.

Professor Freedman is one of the leading U.S. authorities on Israel, the Middle East, and American foreign policy.

He received his B.A. in Diplomatic History from the University of Pennsylvania and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in International Relations from Columbia University. He has been an Assistant Professor of Russian History at the United States Military Academy, Associate Professor of Political Science and Russian at Marquette University and Professor of Political Science at the Baltimore Hebrew University, including a tenure as President of the institution.  Currently, he is a Visiting Professor at Johns Hopkins University.  He is the author or co-author of twenty books.  He has been a commentator on National Public Radio, the BBC, and the Voice of America as well as other major American news outlets.  He has advised policymakers in the State Department, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Israeli Defense Ministry and the Israeli Foreign Ministry.  He has also been called upon to serve the United States government on delegations to Moscow, Beijing, Uzbekistan, and Tunis.  Professor Freedman is well-known to members of the Council, having addressed it on a number of occasions since 1981.