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Copyright © and Moral Rights for This Thesis Are Retained by the Author And/Or Other Copyright Owners Leslie, Jonathan Gerwin (2019) Fear and Insecurity : Competing Narratives of the Iran‐Israel Relationship. PhD thesis. SOAS University of London. http://eprints.soas.ac.uk/32460 Copyright © and Moral Rights for this thesis are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non‐commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder/s. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. When referring to this thesis, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given e.g. AUTHOR (year of submission) "Full thesis title", name of the School or Department, PhD Thesis, pagination. Fear and Insecurity Competing Narratives of the Iran-Israel Relationship Jonathan Gerwin Leslie Thesis submitted for the degree of PhD 2019 Department of Politics and International Studies SOAS, University of London Abstract Years after the Islamic Republic of Iran resumed its nuclear development program, Israeli leaders began constructing a narrative aimed at instilling in their polity the fear of Iran as an existential threat to the Jewish State. Building upon Israel’s geopolitical insecurity, politicians, assisted by societal elites, repeatedly claimed that the imminent acquisition of a bomb by Iran’s religious fundamentalist regime undermined Israel’s security and threatened the stability of the world order. This project examines how Israeli leaders crafted a narrative in which Iran’s rulers sought the destruction of Israel; how the Israeli public internalized this perception of Iran as an enemy; and how Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu incorporated this message into his foreign policy agenda and used it in efforts to secure the support of international allies. Through the lens of securitization theory, this project analyzes primary source documents to show the divergence between the narrative’s content and historical facts. In doing so, it highlights how perception eclipses reality when a powerful securitizing actor claiming exclusive access to material information identifies a threat source and publicly promotes its danger. It then examines how Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strategically embraced populist strategies to advocate for extraordinary action against Iran and to bolster his status as a leader and national protector. Taking advantage of Israel’s failure in the Second Lebanon War and Iran’s election of a radical and bombastic president, Netanyahu chose resonant tropes – misusing history, recasting Holocaust memory, and fashioning an overarching moral imperative – to create a permanent crisis and secure Israelis’ acquiescence. By 2015, however, he had failed to convince international powers that a negotiated deal suspending Iran’s nuclear enrichment program would make Israel and the world less safe. This project contributes to our understanding of current and future developments in the Israel-Iran enmity, both predictable and unanticipated. 3 For Anne. 4 Acknowledgements I am indebted to many people on three continents who aided me in my efforts to propose an original idea, conduct field research, and synthesize and refine source material into the final product presented in the pages that follow. I am more grateful than I can possibly express here, but I shall try. I first wish to thank my advisor, Dr. Arshin Adib-Moghaddam, for all his guidance over the long course of this project. His wisdom and experience not only contributed to the academic product, but also boosted me emotionally. I recall in nearly all of our meetings walking in to Arshin’s office burdened by worry and uncertainties, only to reemerge assured and freshly confident that I was on the right path. Our discussions helped me refine my thinking and added dimensions of scholarship to my work that I could not have achieved on my own. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. I am also grateful to Dr. Felix Berenskoetter for his help and advice over the years of this undertaking. Even before I penned my application for admission to SOAS, Felix was a fount of information about doctoral life. Once I arrived, he helped me navigate the murky waters of international relations theory. His diligence eroded my skepticism and helped me embrace the field. He was also generous – and daring – enough to take a chance on me as a teacher and a lecturer, which, while initially terrifying, was as valuable and enlightening an experience as any I had during the course of my research. I am indebted as well to several academics for their scholarly insights. Dr. Yair Wallach of SOAS agreed to sit on my advisory committee and provided valuable comments. Dr. Tugba Basaran of the University of Cambridge generously offered advice and help in refining the theoretical foundation of my thesis. Dr. Kevan Harris of the University of California at Los Angeles gave me useful guidance both before embarking 5 on a doctoral program and in the early stages of my research. Dr. David Menashri of Tel Aviv University was extremely generous with his time during my fieldwork in Israel. Professor Nina Wacholder, of Rutgers University, introduced me to the software and techniques of corpus analysis. I am grateful to Former Ambassador Daniel Kurtzer, among the most knowledgeable scholars of Middle Eastern politics, who has since my days as a Princeton undergraduate provided advice and insights. Professor Stan Katz of Princeton University has always been willing to share thoughts and suggestions whenever I dropped by his office unannounced. I’d also like to thank Professor David Roxburgh of Harvard University, who, as my on-the-ground guide to Iran, instilled in me a greater appreciation for its ancient history and culture (although he was unable to get me to abandon my study of politics). I am, of course, grateful to all the people who are identified in this manuscript as providing on-the-record observations and information in interviews. In particular, I’d like to thank Dr. Jan-Werner Müller of Princeton University for taking the time out of his busy schedule to sit down with me. A few others wished to remain anonymous, but I appreciate their assistance. Finally, I cannot sufficiently express my thanks to Professor Mohamad Esmaili-Sardari for first piquing my interest in Iran so many years ago. Without his endless enthusiasm and friendship, I may have never embarked on this journey. On a personal level, I wish to thank my parents, Leslie Gerwin and Bruce Leslie. I could not have done this without them. This thesis represents so much more than several years of hard work. It is a culmination of a lifetime of their love and support. Even this public acknowledgement, I believe, is insufficient to express my gratitude for everything they have done and continue to do for me. I am who I am today because of their hard work and sacrifice. I am hopeful that they are as proud of me as a son as I am of them as parents. 6 A doctoral program can be an all-consuming force, but my friends, old and new, kept me tethered to reality and, more importantly, to my sanity. I especially wish to acknowledge Stephan H. Miller, who, in addition to being my closest, oldest friend and serving as the Best Man at my wedding, was an invaluable source of guidance and support during my fieldwork in Israel where he lives. Ollie Rosenblatt and his family could not have been more generous or hospitable during my time in London. They greatly enriched my life as a student in London. I also owe a special thanks to all the people at the Cumberland Lawn Tennis Club. Leaving the Club and the friends I made there was one of the hardest aspects of concluding my studies in London. I am hopeful that the all the friendships I developed at the Club, SOAS, and in London will endure long into the future. The most important contributor to my life is my beautiful wife Anne. This milestone is as much hers as it is mine. Even from thousands of miles away, her love and encouragement kept me going and drove me to achieve things I never thought I could. This achievement represents only at the start of our adventure together. I look forward to our future. 7 Table of Contents INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 12 THE POWER OF POLITICAL NARRATIVE ................................................................................. 19 METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................. 23 PROJECT ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW ................................................................................... 28 CHAPTER ONE: THEORETICAL FOUNDATION ................................................................ 32 I. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 32 II. THE LIMITS OF TRADITIONAL INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS THEORIZING ..................................... 34 A. Realism: Too Narrow ......................................................................................... 34 B. Constructivism: Too Broad................................................................................. 37 C. The Missing Role of Perception, Emotion, and Motivation ................................. 40 IV. SECURITIZATION .......................................................................................................
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