Israel Program News
In the first of a new quarterly series of events, scholars from the Freeman Spogli Institute evaluated recent developments in world affairs, and offered an outlook for 2026.
Former ambassadors discuss statecraft, autocracy versus democracy, and the future of liberal internationalism in an era of geopolitical upheaval
Former Governor of the Bank of Israel Karnit Flug examines growth, governance, and the structural risks facing Israel.
Alon Tal, a former member of the Knesset, discusses Israeli democracy and the upcoming elections with Amichai Magen, Director of the Jan Koum Israel Studies Program at CDDRL.
In a conversation with Or Rabinowitz, Sima Shine, Senior Researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), and Rax Zimmt, Director of the Iran and the Shiite Axis research program at INSS, discussed escalation, regional actors, and regime change.
Dr. Emmanuel Navon, author of “The Star and the Scepter,” explored the enduring tension between realism and idealism in Jewish diplomacy and the paradigm shift following October 7.
After a three-year pilot, Stanford University’s Israel studies program became permanent with a major endowment from the Koum Family Foundation, Stanford announced on Nov. 18.
Former Knesset member and journalist Ksenia Svetlova examined how the Russia-Ukraine war and the October 7 attacks have reshaped global power dynamics, media narratives, and the challenges facing democratic alliances.
Building on a successful pilot at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, the Jan Koum Israel Studies Program will deepen understanding of Israel through new classes, collaborative research, and community engagement.
Vivian Bercovici, former Canadian Ambassador to Israel, reflects on diplomacy, the “leave no one behind” ethos, and Israel’s political crossroads.
"Explaining Israel" Book Launch — Peter Berkowitz on the Jewish State, the Middle East, and America
The Hoover Institution and the Israel Studies Program at CDDRL hosted a launch event for Berkowitz's new book, "Explaining Israel: The Jewish State, the Middle East, and America," on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, from 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. PT.
At Stanford's 2025 Reunion weekend, scholars from the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies shared insights into what can be done to address climate change, AI competition with China, Middle East security, democratic backsliding, and the war in Ukraine.
In an Israel Insights webinar, Professor Azar Gat examined how unresolved questions of historical legitimacy have shaped decades of failed negotiations.
More than 200 academics and political leaders met last week at Stanford for “Climate Resilience and Local Governmental Policy: Lessons from Los Angeles and Tel Aviv,” a groundbreaking conference organized by CDDRL's Visiting Fellows in Israel Studies program.
Journalist Describes Surviving October 7 Hamas Attack and Analyzes Israeli-Palestinian Relations
Journalist Amir Tibon shared his family’s story of survival, betrayal, and hope for peace with a Stanford audience, while also offering insights on contemporary Israeli politics.
The two-day conference, “Climate Resilience and Local Governmental Policy: Lessons from Los Angeles and Tel Aviv,” will take place May 29-30, and is hosted by the Visiting Fellows in Israel Studies program at the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) and the Environmental Social Sciences department at Stanford’s Doerr School of Sustainability.
Dr. Heller, founder of the Fourth Quarter, discussed how grassroots centrist movements can overcome identity-driven polarization in Israel by fostering unity, especially in the wake of national tragedy, and emphasized the need for long-term internal peace-building and reimagining Israeli society’s future.
In a seminar hosted by the Visiting Fellows in Israel Studies program, Eizenstat explored why diplomats succeed or fail, drawing from his firsthand experience with world leaders.
New Continuing Studies Course with CDDRL Scholars on Geopolitics in the 21st-Century Middle East
Open for enrollment now through Stanford Continuing Studies, "Geopolitics in the 21st-Century Middle East: Insights from Stanford Scholars and Other Experts" will run online for ten weeks on Wednesdays, from April 2 through June 4.
Kandel's talk with Visiting Fellow in Israel Studies Amichai Magen focused on his work at the Israel Strategic Futures Institute (ISFI) in diagnosing what he and his colleagues identify as internal existential risks for Israel and the policy ideas generated by ISFI in response to those risks.
Shavit, in conversation with FSI Visiting Fellow in Israel Studies Amichai Magen, discussed the threats Israel faces — particularly from Iran and its proxies — while reassessing historical defense doctrines and the evolving regional landscape, including the future of Gaza.
Amichai Magen hunts for the pony in the Israel-Hamas ceasefire.
Sheryl Sandberg said that filming a documentary about the sexual brutality of Hamas’ attacks on Israelis on Oct. 7 was the most important work of her life and that she wants to turn the world’s attention to the inhumanity that took place.
![[Left to right]: Michael McFaul, Marshall Burke, Steven Pifer, Oriana Skylar Mastro, Didi Kuo, and Amichai Magen on stage.](https://fsi9-prod.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/styles/328x223_x2/public/2024-10/fsi_reunion_2024_panel_hero.png?h=c4d9845d&itok=YJGq-jZY)
At a panel during Stanford's 2024 Reunion weekend, scholars from the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies shared what their research says about climate change, global democracy, Russia and Ukraine, China, and the Middle East.
FSI's Visiting Fellow in Israel Studies Reflects on What Lies Ahead for Israel and the Middle East
The October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas has already indelibly altered Israel and the Middle East, and will continue to reverberate for decades to come, says Amichai Magen, a fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies.