Between realism and idealism: trends and developments in the study of US-Israel relationship

Scholars studying the Israel-US relationship generally agree that it was a special one. However, there are disagreements over when the relationship became special and what exactly made it special. This debate centers on the perspectives of realism and idealism, with proponents of each approach focusing on the state-to-state aspect of the relationship. Over time, the trend in scholarship has shifted, with scholars endorsing a wider range of approaches and attitudes towards studying the relationship between these two nations. No longer limited to just the communication between clerks, various disciplines and methods have been applied to expand the scope of the study. This has allowed for more nuanced and in-depth explanations of the nature and meaning of the Israel-US relationship.