Normative Power Europe Meets Israel Perceptions and Realities [Paperback]

Pardo&is the most prominent of these Israeli researchers, and his latest book is therefore a most welcome addition to the field. Pardos main contribution is that he connects his own findings on external Israeli perceptions of the EU, Europe more generally, and individual member countries to the literature on the EUs normative power. Pardo has correctly identified a certain lacuna, which he fills with many years of careful research, both quantitative and qualitative, on Israeli perceptions of the EU&. [T]his book is a most valuable contribution to the discourse, and its author remains a towering figure in the academic literature on EUIsrael relations.This book offers a fascinating study into Israeli perceptions on a number of key foreign policy issues. It looks into Israels relations to Europe and to NATO. It chronicles how Israeli politicians flirted with membership of the European Economic Community in the 1950s and more recently the European Union (EU) and examines how NATO membership is perceived in the country. Through the Normative Power Europe framework, media analysis and survey research Pardo offers a careful narrative of how Israelis see themselves in the world today and how foreign policy has developed accordingly. He finds that although Israel sees itself as a nation that is close to Europe, he finds very limited diffusion of EU norms and values into Israeli society and politics. This fascinating book is a must read for anyone with an interest in Israel-Europe relations.The complexity of the EUs relationship with Israel has been a neglected topic in recent years. Normative Power Europe Meets Israel: Perceptions and Realities fills this gap. It provides depth and richness to our understanding of one of the EUs most complicated, yet crucially important, relationships.This is an important book not only because it provides an empirically rich account of the EUs relations with Israel, which is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating and challenging arealÃ.