ABSTRACT
The idea of the periphery echoes the European statecraft from the nineteenth century, more specifically the notion of realpolitik and principles such as the balance of power, the primacy of national interest, and the prevalence of secret diplomacy as common practices of international relations. It also finds its origins in the writings of Vladimir Jabotinsky, one of the major intellectual influences of Zionism in the thirties. Against that backdrop, the concept of the periphery doctrine itself was articulated separately by two Israeli officials in the early fifties: the politician Baruch Uziel and the founding director of the Mossad, Reuven Shiloah. They both defended the idea of engaging with non-Arab countries from the Middle East to overcome Israel’s regional isolation.
