Adelson Institute for Strategic Studies

Adelson Institute for Strategic Studies (AISS) was launched in 2006 at the Shalem Center, an influential Israeli policy institute based in Jerusalem.

Activities

It was dedicated to examining "some of the most profound questions facing the Jewish state" which in its own words include:

• how to advance freedom and democracy in the Middle East;
• a re-examination of international law in the light of new forms of warfare and terrorism;
• the establishment of a credible deterrent against guerilla and terror organizations and the states that sponsor them;
• planning for the likely impact of political and social change on the future map of the Middle East;
• the meaning of "stability" in a time of changing strategic realities;
• the appropriate response to weapons of mass destruction;
• the question of how Israel's Arab citizens can most effectively integrate into a Jewish state;
• and the strengthening of Israel's relations with the United States.

Support for Middle Eastern 'Cyber Dissidents'

One of the institute's projects in 2008 saw it establish a campaigning website CyberDissidents.org which now operates as an independent organisation. It claims to be dedicated to 'supporting human liberty by promoting the voices of online dissidents'. It focuses on Arab countries and says 'bloggers and internet dissidents in autocratic Middle Eastern countries are already at great risk. We believe that the West has a moral duty to stand up for these brave dissidents who are our greatest allies.'

According to its website, Kristen Silverberg, former US ambassador to the European Union, has called CyberDissidents 'the leading organization in the world principally devoted to online democratic dissidents.'

Events

Democracy and Security Conference

The institute was one of the organisers of the Democracy & Security International Conference in Prague, Czech Republic, in June 2007 an event was dubbed the 'Neoconservative International' by one commentator. George W Bush addressed the conference, attended by Martin Kramer, Natan Sharansky and Ronald Lauder amongst others.

Eighth Herzliya Conference

The institute co-organised the Eighth Herzliya Conference in January 2008 on the theme of 'The Balance of Israel's National Security.' The conference opened in Jerusalem reportedly at the request of Natan Sharansky As well as Sharansky, figures from the Adelson Institute or Shalem Center to speak at the conference included Michael Oren, Eliat Mazar, Martin Kramer and Moshe Ya'alon, the latter presenting "a policy paper outlining the institute's alternative to a two-state solution".

People

• Natan Sharansky - Institute Chairman and Distinguished Fellow, till June 2009 when he left to join the Jewish Agency for Israel after being elected Chairman of the Executive
• Moshe Ya'alon - Distinguished Fellow
• Martin Kramer - Senior Fellow
• Yossi Klein Halevi - Senior Fellow
• Ehud Ya’ari - Senior Fellow
• Yagil Henkin - Associate Fellow

Funding

In May 2005 the Las Vegas-based Adelson Family Foundation announced that the Shalem Center was to receive a $4.5 million grant to enable the creation of the Adelson Institute.

Affiliations

• Democracy & Security International Conference
• Herzliya Conference (2008) - co-organizing partner

Contact

• Website: http://www.shalemcenter.org.il/research/?did=17

Resources

• Institute for Strategic Studies - page on Shalem Center website.