Israel’s Foreign Policy Analysis on Iran’s Nuclear Agreement using National Attribute Level of Analysis Wirasena Mahesha and Annisa Pratamasari International Relations Department, Faculty of Social and Political Science, Universitas Airlangga Keywords: State, Foreign Policy Analysis, National Attribute, Israel. Abstract: It has been known that all actions taken by the state are based on their national interests. In the struggle to get their national interest, states make foreign decision-making which is decided by many considerations in terms of statehood possessed by the state and external state actors. In this paper, the author will attempt to analyze the foreign policy Israel pursues in response to Iran’s nuclear deal in 2015 using one level of analysis in the foreign policy analysis study, namely national attribute. The author will first explain the background of the case as well as what foreign policy Israel made towards a nuclear Iran. The discussion then proceeds to the theoretical review of the level of analysis of national attributes and their coverage variables. Then, the author will analyze Israeli foreign policy by using national attribute coverage variable and closed by the final conclusion of the author’s analysis. 1 INTRODUCTION country to increase its military budget because of the border conflicts with Palestinians that involving In international relations, state as the main actor play armed action. an important role in maintaining good relations but However, in this paper, the author focus will be also able to bear the national interest of the country. more directed to Iran’s nuclear deal that considered Achieving the national interest itself can be done unsatisfactory by Israel. Judging from its background, through the country’s foreign policy making. Iran has had nuclear weapons from the 1950s, aided According to Breuning’s (2007) statement in his by Western support with claims that its development writings, foreign policy is a state policy against an is based on the interests of peace (Bruno 2010). This environment outside his territorial boundaries. is certainly not necessarily shared by other countries, Traditionally, the purpose of policy-making is to especially the Middle East countries that are safeguard and enhance the strength and security of a neighbors of Iran because of their suspicion and fear country or be equated as its national interest. Issues of nuclear abuses for weapons development. This can relating to foreign policy are generally about be seen by the rapid increase of the country’s uranium economic, security, environment, human rights, enrichment that can be used to form nuclear weapons, population, energy, and humanitarianism. The action the Shahab-3 whose range of fire is expected to reach decided by the head of state itself is also undertaken Israel and its surrounding countries (Kuperwasser by every country in the world including Israel. 2015). This has certainly raised concern for Israel’s Israel is the only country in the world located in national security and thus, Israel intervened with the the Middle East region and ruled by Islamic countries P5+1 countries, namely the United States, Britain, such as Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt. Besides China, France, Russia and Germany, in negotiations that, there are also Palestinians who are still involved to reach agreement on Iran’s nuclear development. in a conflict with Israel related to the state. Moreover, Nuclear development by Iran as an Islamic state is the issues are increasingly aggravated by Trump’s considered as a big threat by Israel as there is a recognition of the Palestinian city of Jerusalem as the negative view of Muslims against the Jews. This is capital of Israel, reflecting the terms of the United related to the border conflict between Israel and the Nations that previously agreed them (Masters and Palestinians as a Muslim country. Moreover, the Halasz 2017). Back to the discussion, Israel in its supreme leader of Israel, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in region is called the most developed country with high 2015 once declared that if all Muslims and economic capability. This then encourages the Palestinians are united, Israel will not exist within 25 609 Mahesha, W. and Pratamasari, A. Israel’s Foreign Policy Analysis on Iran’s Nuclear Agreement using National Attribute Level of Analysis. DOI: 10.5220/0010281006090614 In Proceedings of Airlangga Conference on International Relations (ACIR 2018) - Politics, Economy, and Security in Changing Indo-Pacific Region, pages 609-614 ISBN: 978-989-758-493-0 Copyright c 2021 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved ACIR 2018 - Airlangga Conference on International Relations years so that the Jewish state should be destroyed foreign policy of a country. The purpose of the (Deardem 2016: TOI Staff 2015). In response, explanatory mode is be able able to show how certain although Israel is not a country actively involved in values at this macro level lead to the probability Iranian nuclear talks held by the P5+1 countries, distribution of the particular types of foreign policy Israel has some of its foreign policy in response to choices and how they can influence the decision- Iran’s nuclear deal to tense down and eliminated war making of foreign policy in a particular context. potential in the region. Furthermore, the national attribute is a national power Based on Kuperwasser’s work (2015), Israel has possessed by a tangible and intangible state. The proximity to the United States in many ways elements that make up the national power are the size including Iran’s nuclear deal. However, it turns out of the country, natural resources, geographic that both countries are in different perspective related conditions, demographics, political systems, military to what policies should be applied to Iran in order to forces, and economic capabilities (Hudson 2014). All create regional stability. The United States seeks to these elements then used by the state in forming its ensure that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons national image that determines the national behavior while Israel is more to prevent Iran from having of the country itself in the eyes of the international capabilities in the production of nuclear weapons and community (Lebovic 1985). this can only be done through coercive measures such Basically, there are no countries that do not have as a combination of preventive operations, diplomatic national attributes. Nevertheless, the elements of the pressure, economic sanctions, and credible military national attributes possessed by every country in the threats. In addition, Israel also has several policy world are relative in nature so generalizations can not frameworks addressed to Israel such as preventing the be made in the context of this level of analysis development and research of Iran’s nuclear, removing (Hudson 2014). For example, in this world there are uranium enrichment materials from Iran, closing the countries with large geographical size like China, and nuclear development facility at Fordow, and reducing also small like Singapore, as well as core countries the number of nuclear development machines at with excellent economic power such as the United Natanz. Furthermore, Israel also compels Iran to States, and periphery countries with weak economic provide all the requested data related to its nuclear power like Bangladesh. The capabilities possessed by development activities and seeks the US congress to each country have influential element in decision- re-evaluate the deal that Israel considers to be less making from foreign policy in international politics. significant in stopping Iran’s nuclear development Therefore, the author will further discuss about each (Kuperwasser 2015; Kaye 2016). of the national attributes’ elements of countries. The author then will analyze the policies using Generally, countries with superior capability are more one of the analytical tools available in foreign policy noticed in comparison with the inferior power states analysis studies. The tool is the national attributes (Lebovic 1985, Elman 1995). level of analysis by looking at the elements or The first element is size that becomes one of the variables that are present in it and then make the factors of a country’s decision-making. Countries with element or variable as the reason behind the decision large areas primarily play more actively in foreign of foreign policy of the country. In this case, the policy making. On the other hand, countries with author will attempt to elaborate Israel’s foreign policy small areas have only limited resources, so their on Iran’s nuclear deal through the variables at the national strength is low with the exception of certain national attribute level of analysis. The authors then countries such as Singapore. Small countries generally continue to discuss the explanation about the basic make alliance with a larger country in order to survive. principles and the theoretical consequences of However, neutral options may also be selected if the national attributes the level of analysis in the next country is between two major conflicting states section. (Hudson 2014). The second element is the existence of natural resources in foreign policy making which is seen from its availability, such as petroleum, mineral, 2 THEORITICAL REVIEW OF agriculture, and so on. Natural resources are the main requirement of each country so that this element has NATIONAL ATTRIBUTE the power to control other needy parties like for LEVEL OF ANALYSIS example in China which halt its export of earth metal to Japan because Japan detains Chinese fishermen on Hudson (2014) in his writing sees the level of analysis illegal fishing charges in Japanese waters. as an approach at the macro level in understanding the 610 Israel’s Foreign Policy Analysis on Iran’s Nuclear Agreement using National Attribute Level of Analysis The third element is the geography like the 3 NATIONAL ATTRIBUTES boundaries between countries that play an important role in the formation of foreign policy in relation to ANALYSIS WITH ISRAEL’S geopolitics.