March 4th, in the framework of the second course dedicated to «Modern Israel», Ariel Roth, Director of the Israel Institute in Washington, delivered a lecture on the rise of the Jewish state. The course is jointly implemented by MGIMO and the Israel Institute in Washington and sponsored by the embassy of Israel in Moscow and the School of Business and International Proficiency.

The lecture was opened by MGIMO’s Vice-Rector for General Affairs Artem Malgin who introduced the guest, noting that he authored a book on «Leadership in International Relations» (2010), works for the Center for Advanced Governmental Studies at John Hopkins University and is a veteran of the Israeli armed forces.

Ariel Roth spoke about the cultural and political history of Israel, the 1948 war, the transformations, which led to the birth of the modern Jewish national movement and to the creation of the Jewish state. The speaker noted that ideological and geostrategic restrictions and opportunities shaped the specific approach of the leaders of the Zionist movement, and later of Israel’s leadership, to security and defense questions.