Description

This episode of The IR thinker explores the field of foreign policy analysis with Dr Eldad Ben-Aharon, from core concepts and theories to contemporary methodological debates, including questions of Western-centrism, the role of non-state actors and the impact of technology and climate change on research agendas. The conversation then turns to two detailed case studies that illuminate the practice of elite interviewing in international relations: oral history work with Israeli elites and the methodological and ethical challenges of interviewing senior intelligence officials, including a former Mossad director.

Eldad Ben-Aharon

Dr Eldad Ben-Aharon is an IRC Post-Doctoral Fellow in International Security at Dublin City University and a researcher at the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt. He received his PhD in History from Royal Holloway, University of London, and his work focuses on the international history of the Middle East during the Cold War through archival research, foreign policy analysis and elite interviews. His research has been published in journals such as the European Journal of International Security, Intelligence and National Security, Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, Oral History Review and Cold War History, and he has written for outlets including Newsweek, The Conversation, The Jerusalem Post, Haaretz, The National Interest, Times of Israel and Globes.

Publications:

Political audience and non-linear securitisation: Revisiting Israel–Iran relations and the making of the 1979 Islamic Revolution

Doing Oral History with the Israeli Elite and the Question of Methodology in International Relations Research

Methodological and epistemological reflections on elite interviews and the study of Israel’s intelligence history: interview with Efraim Halevy

Content

00:00 - Introduction

02:14 - Defining Foreign Policy

04:30 - Diplomacy vs. Policy

06:09 - Evolution of Foreign Policy Analysis

08:55 - Theories and Frameworks

10:52 - Western Centrism in Policy Analysis

14:12 - Actors vs. Institutions

16:26 - Trends in Methodology

21:04 - Technology and Climate Change in Research

24:45 - Theoretical Stance Importance

26:32 - Case Study 1: Article Description

30:04 - Case Study 1: Methods

33:21 - Case Study 1: Challenges

36:58 - Case Study 1: Tech Tools

40:40 - Case Study 2: Intro & Methods

46:36 - Case Study 2: Interviewing Mossad Director

49:56 - Case Study 2: Handling Sensitivity

54:37 - Case Study 2: Post-Interview Protocol

57:25 - Eldad’s Research Motivation

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