The Golda Meir Institute for Political and Social studies

We are living through one of the defining moments in modern history which has a huge number of conflicting versions of the future. Many socio-political processes depend on global trends and actions of key actors.

The Golda Meir Institute has a goal to form a research agenda in Israel by bringing together leading experts in various fields of political science, philosophy, sociology.

The Golda Meir Institute focuses on:

  • Encouraging decision-makers, regardless of their affiliation with governments or political parties, to think long-term to avoid the risk of an unfavorable future and to increase chances of positive development;
  • Stimulating strategic thinking by identifying important trends and potential threats;
  • Researching the implications of political and social analytical developments that will help meet current global challenges and take advantage of changing political and economic architecture;
  • Playing a trendsetting role in the national research field and forming a hub for think tanks in the USA, Europe, and Israel;
  • Promoting Golda Meir’s concepts of nation and state building.

The institute is named after Golda Meir, who served Israel in a multitude of official capacities including Ambassador to Moscow, Foreign Minister, and Prime Minister during the difficult period of the Yom Kippur War.

She was a very modest person, totally devoted to the cause of Zionism. She could always see right to the heart of a situation or topic.

David Ben-Gurion called her “the best man in the government“. Among the 37 signers of Israel’s Declaration of Independence were only two women, one of whom was Golda Meir.

Being one of the key figures in creating the State of Israel, Golda Meyer laid down basic principles of the foreign and domestic policy of the Jewish State, which are still relevant today.

Main research topics in 2023

  • Israel – State of Halacha or Democracy?

    The attitude of the Israeli citizens to the contradictions between the Halacha and modern ideas about humanism and personal freedom.

    Initialization of expert work on the development of the Constitution of Israel. In Israel, the legislative framework that ensures constitutional rights is partially developed. Nowhere except the declaration of independence the principle of equality is enshrined. There are no laws establishing freedom of the press, right to assemble and express your views through protest. Today’s fight against “legal reform” (which, according to experts, will violate the system of “checks and balances”) can become a starting point for public discussion of the Israeli Constitution.

  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) – global challenge for the next decades.
    Development of methodology and mechanisms for adaptation and psychological rehabilitation of persons suffering from PTSD. Recent world emergency events (such as the war in Ukraine, the earthquake in Turkey, COVID) require new approaches that correspond to modern realities, to specifics and socio-psychological characteristics of the population. For example, psychiatrists in the United States and Israel, relying on experience gained during recent wars and local conflicts, draw attention to the uniqueness of the clinical picture formation in each case.
  • Defense, security. Red lines for Israel. Balance in matters of security, citizens freedom and independent state policy is an important aspect of public and political life in Israel. Based on a series of surveys and expert interviews, a report will be prepared indicating the red lines, the crossing of which may prompt Israel to reconsider its policy. Questions for study – weapon supply to the Ukrainian armed forces. Cohabitation with Arabic population Vs Fight against terrorism in Israel. Security among Syrian boarders Vs Russian bilateral relations.
  • Political, economic, and ideologic aspects of anti-Semitism. Research project intends to prove that anti-Semitism emerged and exists as an artificial phenomenon, rather than as a consequence of natural reasons. It will describe mechanisms (including modern) of launching and conducting anti-Semite campaigns in order to predict and prevent them.
  • International social awareness project “Grandchildren of the Holocaust”. One of the objectives of the project is to establish contact between the relatives of Nazi genocide victims as well as with those who were on the other side of the war – former soldiers of the Wehrmacht, collaborators, and their descendants. It is important to understand that the descendants of both sides are the heritors of that tragic events. Relatives of the victims should maintain memory of these people and events –bring it to masses through the prism of their own perception and attitude. The emphasis will be made on promoting the premises that not only the Jews but all those who try to prevent the recurrence of the Catastrophe (and it concerns both human lives and moral, cultural catastrophe) are the descendants of the Holocaust. 
  • Socio-psychological characteristics and needs of repatriates. Its’ effect on social and political life in Israel. An increase in the number of repatriates (70,000 in 2022), and a change in their qualitative characteristics set the task for the State of Israel to change the approach to absorption and adaptation.
  • World order based on Presidential elections (2024) in the USA and Russia. Forecasting of the processes and results of elections. Its’ influence on intra-elite alignment and its’ effect on major world events. Studying the correlation between the elections in the USA and Russia.
  • Intra-elite ‘solitaire’ in Ukraine. The negotiation process for the cessation of hostilities on the territory of Ukraine is at an impasse. In particular, due to disagreements within the Ukrainian elite. Disagreements between elite groups “for the war” and “for the economic recovery” can develop into an open conflict, which directly affects the future of president Zelensky. As part of the study, a map of the current Ukrainian elite will be formed, hypotheses will be built regarding their goals, objectives, and intersections. Their role and place following the termination of the active military phase.
  • Eurasian studies. Independent authentic analysis of the main trends, political, economic and social processes in the countries of the Eurasian space. Assessment of the possibility of a full-fledged integration of the post-Soviet countries. Energy cooperation of the Central Asia countries and its impact on the world energy market.

Contact us: golda@goldameir.co.il

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