18. 10. 2023

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