Uzi Arad
Encyclopedia
Uzi Arad is an Israel
i Strategist
and a well-known figure in foreign policy
, security
and strategic circles in Israel and abroad. He is a Professor at The Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy at The Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya. In July 2011 Arad re-joined the faculty of the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya (IDC). Between 2009 and 2011 Arad served as the National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of Israel
, and the Chairman of the Israeli National Security Council
, positions from which he resigned in March 2011, following his admission to leaking top secret information to agents of a foreign state .
At IDC between 1999 and 2009 Arad was the Founding Director of the Institute for Policy and Strategy and Professor at its Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy. At the Institute, he has established and chaired the annual Herzliya Conference
, Israel's principal international policy conference, convening Israeli and international leaders, policy-makers and most senior experts in the field of national security, broadly defined.
Arad was Foreign Policy Advisor to Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu (1997–1999) on secondment from the Mossad
, in which he served for more than two decades, culminating in his tenure as Director of Research (Intelligence
). Arad has been serving as Advisor to the Knesset
Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee
. He was also the Founding Chair of The Atlantic Forum of Israel.
Arad has been a critic of the [US invasion of Iraq]] and former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
's withdrawal
from the Gaza Strip
, arguing that the energy spent there should have been shifted towards dealing with the Iranian nuclear crisis. Arad was temporarily banned from entering the United States
Because of alleged contact with Larry Franklin
, an American indicted on espionage charges. Arad's Visa was reinstated as the Franklin case fizzled out to a sentence of community service for Franklin and dismissed charges for other defendants.
Following his NSC term, Arad was expected to be the new Israeli ambassador to London, but instead he returned to the Academia.
, where they spent two years, and he travelled with his family to Mexico
in 1963. While in Mexico, he studied Economics
and Anthropology
at the University of the Americas
. Three years later, he returned to Israel to carry out his military service with the Israel Air Force.
and International Relations
from Tel Aviv University
. He was Subsequently awarded a Fulbright Fellowship
for advanced studies at Princeton University
's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
, where he earned an M.A.
degree (1973) in Public Administration
and International Relations and a Ph.D. degree (1975) in International Relations. His Ph.D. dissertation "World Energy Interdependence and the Security of Supply" was supervised by Professors Richard Ullman and Edward Morse.
in 1972, working under its legendary directors, Herman Kahn
and Donald Brennan. At Hudson, he carried out policy work on nuclear strategy
, arms control
, energy
and security
.
Arad returned to Israel in 1975 and was offered senior positions with the Mossad
and with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
. He chose to join the Mossad, where he spent most of his professional career. He served in two divisions, one of which was the Research (Intelligence
) Division, which he eventually headed (at the rank equivalent to Major General). At the Mossad, he also dealt with foreign liaison and his assignments also included posts abroad, acquiring the reputation, in the words of Andrew Marshall, the Director of the Pentagon's Office of Net Assessment, "a top global defence strategist".
Intending to retire from Mossad in 1997, Arad was elected in 1996 as Director of the Jaffe Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University, now the Institute for National Security Studieshttp://www.inss.org.il/about.php?cat=46&in=0. However, at the request of Prime Minister Netanyahu, Arad remained in government to serve as the Prime Minister's Foreign Policy Advisor, a position he held through 1999.
Concurrently with his ongoing academic activities, Arad has been advising the Knesset
's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee
. He has also been active in advancing Israel's relations with Euro-Atlantic community. In 2000, Arad founded the EU-Israel Forum, in cooperation with the Council of the European Union
, and led it through 2003. In 2004, he established the Atlantic Forum of Israel. Working closely with NATO, the Atlantic Forum of Israel seeks to promote and enhance Israel's relations and standing with the Atlantic Alliance and has played an important role in advancing this relationship.
In April 2009, Arad was appointed National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of Israel
, Benjamin Netanyahu
, and Chairman of the Israeli National Security Council
.
After a prolonged investigation into a leak at the Prime Minister's Office, Arad admitted to have been the source of the leaked information. Consequently, he "resigned" his positions in February 2011.
While in government Arad fought for the NSC to be heard and upgraded, knowing it would be an uphill battle His functional and geographical proximity to the Prime Minister, his personal relationship with Netanyahu, and his presence in real-time decision-making situations gave the new NSC a real role. Arad routinized NSC-to-NSC contacts with the U.S, Germany, Britain, France,Canada etc., and played a key role in fostering U.S.-Israel relations.
research at the Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University. Arad's co-authored volume, "Sharing Global Resources", commissioned by the New York Council on Foreign Relations (with his wife, Ruth Arad and others), was published in 1979.
After retiring from government in 1999, Arad lectured at Haifa University
and in 2000 he joined the Interdisciplinary Center
Herzliya (IDC Herzliya), which became his academic home. At IDC, he established the Institute for Policy and Strategy and founded the Annual Herzliya Conference
Series on the Balance of Israel's National Security. Modeled after prestigious international policy conferences and gatherings such as the World Economic Forum
(Davos), the Munich Conference on Security Policy
(Verkunde), the Trilateral Commission
meetings, and the International Institute for Strategic Studies
(IISS) conferences, the Herzliya Conference soon became the principal policy event in Israel.
In 2005, the Israeli Council on Higher Education conferred upon Arad the academic rank of Professor in recognition of his expertise and international reputation. In the course of his work at IDC Herzliya, Arad conceived of a path-breaking international policy project exploring the applications of risk management to national and international security policy. Involving a global group of scholars and coordinated at Yale University
and the Eurasia Group
, the project culminated in the book "Managing Strategic Surprise: Lessons from Risk Management and Risk Assessment" recently published by Cambridge University Press
. Arad contributed a chapter on intelligence and surprise attack, in which he applied analytical
tools of risk management
to the integrative administration of national intelligence systems. The edited volume garnered academic and professional acclaim and has been portrayed as a "superb collection of our best thought leaders."
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i Strategist
Strategy
Strategy, a word of military origin, refers to a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. In military usage strategy is distinct from tactics, which are concerned with the conduct of an engagement, while strategy is concerned with how different engagements are linked...
and a well-known figure in foreign policy
Foreign policy
A country's foreign policy, also called the foreign relations policy, consists of self-interest strategies chosen by the state to safeguard its national interests and to achieve its goals within international relations milieu. The approaches are strategically employed to interact with other countries...
, security
National security
National security is the requirement to maintain the survival of the state through the use of economic, diplomacy, power projection and political power. The concept developed mostly in the United States of America after World War II...
and strategic circles in Israel and abroad. He is a Professor at The Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy at The Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya. In July 2011 Arad re-joined the faculty of the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya (IDC). Between 2009 and 2011 Arad served as the National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of Israel
Prime Minister of Israel
The Prime Minister of Israel is the head of the Israeli government and the most powerful political figure in Israel . The prime minister is the country's chief executive. The official residence of the prime minister, Beit Rosh Hamemshala is in Jerusalem...
, and the Chairman of the Israeli National Security Council
Israeli National Security Council
The Israeli National Security Council is Israel's central body for coordination, integration, analysis and monitoring in the field of national security and is the staff forum on national security for the Israeli Prime Minister and Government. However, national security decisions typically made by...
, positions from which he resigned in March 2011, following his admission to leaking top secret information to agents of a foreign state .
At IDC between 1999 and 2009 Arad was the Founding Director of the Institute for Policy and Strategy and Professor at its Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy. At the Institute, he has established and chaired the annual Herzliya Conference
Herzliya conference
The Herzliya Conference, hosted by the Interdisciplinary Center at Herzliya, is Israel's center stage for the articulation of national policy by its most prominent leaders, including the Israeli President, the Prime Minister, the IDF Chief of General Staff, and the leading contenders for high...
, Israel's principal international policy conference, convening Israeli and international leaders, policy-makers and most senior experts in the field of national security, broadly defined.
Arad was Foreign Policy Advisor to Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu (1997–1999) on secondment from the Mossad
Mossad
The Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
, in which he served for more than two decades, culminating in his tenure as Director of Research (Intelligence
Intelligence (information gathering)
Intelligence assessment is the development of forecasts of behaviour or recommended courses of action to the leadership of an organization, based on a wide range of available information sources both overt and covert. Assessments are developed in response to requirements declared by the leadership...
). Arad has been serving as Advisor to the Knesset
Knesset
The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...
Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee
Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee
The Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee is a permanent Knesset committee which oversees key Foreign and Defense areas, including the drafting of legislation, supervision over related government ministries and the approval of their budgests...
. He was also the Founding Chair of The Atlantic Forum of Israel.
Arad has been a critic of the [US invasion of Iraq]] and former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon is an Israeli statesman and retired general, who served as Israel’s 11th Prime Minister. He has been in a permanent vegetative state since suffering a stroke on 4 January 2006....
's withdrawal
Israel's unilateral disengagement plan
Israel's unilateral disengagement plan , also known as the "Disengagement plan", "Gaza expulsion plan", and "Hitnatkut", was a proposal by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, adopted by the government on June 6, 2004 and enacted in August 2005, to evict all Israelis from the Gaza Strip and from...
from the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
, arguing that the energy spent there should have been shifted towards dealing with the Iranian nuclear crisis. Arad was temporarily banned from entering the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Because of alleged contact with Larry Franklin
Larry Franklin
Lawrence Anthony Franklin is a former U.S. Air Force Reserve colonel who has pleaded guilty to passing information about U.S. policy towards Iran to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee , the foremost pro-Israel lobbying organization in the U.S, while he was working for the Defense...
, an American indicted on espionage charges. Arad's Visa was reinstated as the Franklin case fizzled out to a sentence of community service for Franklin and dismissed charges for other defendants.
Following his NSC term, Arad was expected to be the new Israeli ambassador to London, but instead he returned to the Academia.
Early life
Arad was born in Tiberias in 1947. In 1955 he followed his family to FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where they spent two years, and he travelled with his family to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
in 1963. While in Mexico, he studied Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
and Anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
at the University of the Americas
Fundación Universidad de las Américas, Puebla
Universidad de las Américas Puebla , is a private university in Mexico. It is located in San Andrés Cholula, Puebla, a suburb of Puebla. The university is known for its programs in Arts and Humanities, Social sciences, Science and Engineering, and Business and Economics...
. Three years later, he returned to Israel to carry out his military service with the Israel Air Force.
Education
In 1971, Arad earned a bachelor degree in HistoryHistory
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and International Relations
International relations
International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...
from Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:...
. He was Subsequently awarded a Fulbright Fellowship
Fulbright Program
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright-Hays Program, is a program of competitive, merit-based grants for international educational exchange for students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists, founded by United States Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946. Under the...
for advanced studies at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
The Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs is a professional public policy school at Princeton University. The school has granted undergraduate A.B. degrees since 1930 and graduate degrees since 1948...
, where he earned an M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degree (1973) in Public Administration
Public administration
Public Administration houses the implementation of government policy and an academic discipline that studies this implementation and that prepares civil servants for this work. As a "field of inquiry with a diverse scope" its "fundamental goal.....
and International Relations and a Ph.D. degree (1975) in International Relations. His Ph.D. dissertation "World Energy Interdependence and the Security of Supply" was supervised by Professors Richard Ullman and Edward Morse.
Professional career
Arad became a Professional Staff Member with the Hudson InstituteHudson Institute
The Hudson Institute is an American think tank founded in 1961, in Croton-on-Hudson, New York, by futurist, military strategist, and systems theorist Herman Kahn and his colleagues at the RAND Corporation...
in 1972, working under its legendary directors, Herman Kahn
Herman Kahn
Herman Kahn was one of the preeminent futurists of the latter third of the twentieth century. In the early 1970s he predicted the rise of Japan as a major world power. He was a founder of the Hudson Institute think tank and originally came to prominence as a military strategist and systems...
and Donald Brennan. At Hudson, he carried out policy work on nuclear strategy
Nuclear strategy
Nuclear strategy involves the development of doctrines and strategies for the production and use of nuclear weapons.As a sub-branch of military strategy, nuclear strategy attempts to match nuclear weapons as means to political ends...
, arms control
Arms control
Arms control is an umbrella term for restrictions upon the development, production, stockpiling, proliferation, and usage of weapons, especially weapons of mass destruction...
, energy
Energy security
Energy security is a term for an association between national security and the availability of natural resources for energy consumption. Access to cheap energy has become essential to the functioning of modern economies. However, the uneven distribution of energy supplies among countries has led...
and security
Security
Security is the degree of protection against danger, damage, loss, and crime. Security as a form of protection are structures and processes that provide or improve security as a condition. The Institute for Security and Open Methodologies in the OSSTMM 3 defines security as "a form of protection...
.
Arad returned to Israel in 1975 and was offered senior positions with the Mossad
Mossad
The Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
and with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs is one of the most important ministries in the Israeli government. The ministry's role is to implement Israel's foreign policy, and promote economic, cultural, and scientific relations with other countries....
. He chose to join the Mossad, where he spent most of his professional career. He served in two divisions, one of which was the Research (Intelligence
Intelligence (information gathering)
Intelligence assessment is the development of forecasts of behaviour or recommended courses of action to the leadership of an organization, based on a wide range of available information sources both overt and covert. Assessments are developed in response to requirements declared by the leadership...
) Division, which he eventually headed (at the rank equivalent to Major General). At the Mossad, he also dealt with foreign liaison and his assignments also included posts abroad, acquiring the reputation, in the words of Andrew Marshall, the Director of the Pentagon's Office of Net Assessment, "a top global defence strategist".
Intending to retire from Mossad in 1997, Arad was elected in 1996 as Director of the Jaffe Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University, now the Institute for National Security Studieshttp://www.inss.org.il/about.php?cat=46&in=0. However, at the request of Prime Minister Netanyahu, Arad remained in government to serve as the Prime Minister's Foreign Policy Advisor, a position he held through 1999.
Concurrently with his ongoing academic activities, Arad has been advising the Knesset
Knesset
The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...
's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee
Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee
The Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee is a permanent Knesset committee which oversees key Foreign and Defense areas, including the drafting of legislation, supervision over related government ministries and the approval of their budgests...
. He has also been active in advancing Israel's relations with Euro-Atlantic community. In 2000, Arad founded the EU-Israel Forum, in cooperation with the Council of the European Union
Council of the European Union
The Council of the European Union is the institution in the legislature of the European Union representing the executives of member states, the other legislative body being the European Parliament. The Council is composed of twenty-seven national ministers...
, and led it through 2003. In 2004, he established the Atlantic Forum of Israel. Working closely with NATO, the Atlantic Forum of Israel seeks to promote and enhance Israel's relations and standing with the Atlantic Alliance and has played an important role in advancing this relationship.
In April 2009, Arad was appointed National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of Israel
Prime Minister of Israel
The Prime Minister of Israel is the head of the Israeli government and the most powerful political figure in Israel . The prime minister is the country's chief executive. The official residence of the prime minister, Beit Rosh Hamemshala is in Jerusalem...
, Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He serves also as the Chairman of the Likud Party, as a Knesset member, as the Health Minister of Israel, as the Pensioner Affairs Minister of Israel and as the Economic Strategy Minister of Israel.Netanyahu is the first and, to...
, and Chairman of the Israeli National Security Council
Israeli National Security Council
The Israeli National Security Council is Israel's central body for coordination, integration, analysis and monitoring in the field of national security and is the staff forum on national security for the Israeli Prime Minister and Government. However, national security decisions typically made by...
.
After a prolonged investigation into a leak at the Prime Minister's Office, Arad admitted to have been the source of the leaked information. Consequently, he "resigned" his positions in February 2011.
While in government Arad fought for the NSC to be heard and upgraded, knowing it would be an uphill battle His functional and geographical proximity to the Prime Minister, his personal relationship with Netanyahu, and his presence in real-time decision-making situations gave the new NSC a real role. Arad routinized NSC-to-NSC contacts with the U.S, Germany, Britain, France,Canada etc., and played a key role in fostering U.S.-Israel relations.
Academic career
In 1977, Arad took a sabbatical leave and carried out post-doctoralPostdoctoral researcher
Postdoctoral research is scholarly research conducted by a person who has recently completed doctoral studies, normally within the previous five years. It is intended to further deepen expertise in a specialist subject, including acquiring novel skills and methods...
research at the Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University. Arad's co-authored volume, "Sharing Global Resources", commissioned by the New York Council on Foreign Relations (with his wife, Ruth Arad and others), was published in 1979.
After retiring from government in 1999, Arad lectured at Haifa University
University of Haifa
The University of Haifa is a university in Haifa, Israel.The University of Haifa was founded in 1963 by Haifa mayor Abba Hushi, to operate under the academic auspices of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem....
and in 2000 he joined the Interdisciplinary Center
Interdisciplinary Center
The Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya is a private Israeli college located in Herzliya, Israel.The languages of instruction in the Interdisciplinary Center are Hebrew and English.-History:...
Herzliya (IDC Herzliya), which became his academic home. At IDC, he established the Institute for Policy and Strategy and founded the Annual Herzliya Conference
Herzliya conference
The Herzliya Conference, hosted by the Interdisciplinary Center at Herzliya, is Israel's center stage for the articulation of national policy by its most prominent leaders, including the Israeli President, the Prime Minister, the IDF Chief of General Staff, and the leading contenders for high...
Series on the Balance of Israel's National Security. Modeled after prestigious international policy conferences and gatherings such as the World Economic Forum
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-profit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva, best known for its annual meeting in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubünden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland....
(Davos), the Munich Conference on Security Policy
Munich Conference on Security Policy
The Munich Conference on Security Policy is an annual conference on international security policy that is held in the Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich, Germany.The 47th Munich Security Conference will be held from February 4th through February 6th 2011....
(Verkunde), the Trilateral Commission
Trilateral Commission
The Trilateral Commission is a non-governmental, non-partisan discussion group founded by David Rockefeller in July 1973 to foster closer cooperation among the United States, Europe and Japan.-History:...
meetings, and the International Institute for Strategic Studies
International Institute for Strategic Studies
The International Institute for Strategic Studies is a British research institute in the area of international affairs. It describes itself as "the world’s leading authority on political-military conflict"...
(IISS) conferences, the Herzliya Conference soon became the principal policy event in Israel.
In 2005, the Israeli Council on Higher Education conferred upon Arad the academic rank of Professor in recognition of his expertise and international reputation. In the course of his work at IDC Herzliya, Arad conceived of a path-breaking international policy project exploring the applications of risk management to national and international security policy. Involving a global group of scholars and coordinated at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
and the Eurasia Group
Eurasia Group
-Overview:Eurasia Group is best known as the world's largest political risk consultancy with offices in New York, Washington, London, and Tokyo and more than 125 full-time employees...
, the project culminated in the book "Managing Strategic Surprise: Lessons from Risk Management and Risk Assessment" recently published by Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
. Arad contributed a chapter on intelligence and surprise attack, in which he applied analytical
Analysis
Analysis is the process of breaking a complex topic or substance into smaller parts to gain a better understanding of it. The technique has been applied in the study of mathematics and logic since before Aristotle , though analysis as a formal concept is a relatively recent development.The word is...
tools of risk management
Risk management
Risk management is the identification, assessment, and prioritization of risks followed by coordinated and economical application of resources to minimize, monitor, and control the probability and/or impact of unfortunate events or to maximize the realization of opportunities...
to the integrative administration of national intelligence systems. The edited volume garnered academic and professional acclaim and has been portrayed as a "superb collection of our best thought leaders."