Dependency versus strategic autonomy

Andrew Fox is a frontline conflict researcher who has visited Gaza, Syria and Lebanon to study Israeli deployments and strategy there.

He joins the podcast to talk about what he calls Israel’s ticking diplomatic clock — the inevitable moment when Israel finds itself where Europe is now: suddenly shorn of American backing and having to navigate an increasingly chaotic region and world. We discuss Israel’s strengths, its weaknesses, how Israel itself contributed to its diplomatic troubles, and what it all means for the prospects of rebuilding and deradicalization in Gaza as the territory enters Phase II of the Trump plan.

Andrew served for 16 years in the British Army, from 2005 to 2021, leaving the Parachute Regiment with the rank of major. He is currently a senior associate fellow at the Henry Jackson Society in London, the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security in Israel, the Macdonald-Laurier Institute in Canada, and the Euro-Med Middle East Council in France.

Andrew co-hosts the podcast The Brink with former Jewish Chronicle editor Jake Wallis Simons.

Sponsorship:

For more than a century, the Technion has powered Israel. Its graduates built the nation’s roads and bridges, its water systems and electrical grid. Israel’s high-tech industry emerged from the Technion — the very foundation of the Startup Nation.

Today, as Israel recovers from the devastation of war, it needs the Technion more than ever.

Technion scientists are developing new energy sources, sustainable food and water solutions, and breakthrough medical therapies — creating innovations for a better world that will also reboot Israel’s economy.

You want to help make Israel safe and strong. By supporting the Technion, you’re investing in the people and ideas that will rebuild Israel for a better future. Because rebuilding isn’t just about restoring what was lost—it’s about creating what comes next. The Technion built Israel. Now, the Technion will rebuild Israel. Join us. Visit http://ats.org/rebuild

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Musical intro by Adam Ben Amitai.