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Reinhold Niebuhr and the State of Israel: A Study in the Foreign Policy of a Christian Realist

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Religion and the Liberal State in Niebuhr's Christian Realism

Part of the book series: Staat – Souveränität – Nation ((SSN))

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Abstract

This chapter will assess Reinhold Niebuhr’s views on the reborn State of Israel as emanating from his attitudes towards Judaism and the Jewish People. These views were related to his philosophy of international politics in general and American foreign policy in particular. Our analysis will be based on tools from the disciplines of political science and international relations. More importantly, we shall suggest that Niebuhr’s views on these subjects which were very close to his mind and heart, mirror his general approaches to politics from the standpoint of Christian Realism which he so frequently articulated. At the core of this approach is the Biblical prophetic heritage which he so enthusiastically embraced and sought to apply to the complexities of the establishment of the State of Israel in the heart of the Middle East. While he emphasized pragmatic justification for establishment of the State of Israel his support was not devoid of Biblical overtones while rejecting the eschatological thinking/orientations of many contemporary evangelicals. Finally we believe that the theme of this essay can also serve as a contribution to the developing subfield of religion and international politics.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    This term was introduced by M.Ben Mollov and appears in Mollov (2002) p. 8. Robert W. Tucker also referred to this term in hand written letter to Ben Mollov, dated May 12, 1994.

  2. 2.

    Conveyed to Ben Mollov in discussion with Kenneth W. Thompson, summer 1991 in Charlottesville, Virginia.

  3. 3.

    For more details on Niebuhr’s influence on Herberg see Mollov 2002, p. 12, FN. 93.

  4. 4.

    In an interview and discussion with Kenneth W. Thompson in Charlottesville, Virginia in summer 1991, he recalled that some of Morgenthau’s colleagues at the University of Chicago, referred to Niebuhr as”just one more preacher”. He stressed that Morgenthau would never have “spoken that way about Niebuhr”.

  5. 5.

    TM in file: Lecturers/Texts 1970, Political Science U719, September 18, 1970, 24 (Collection of Morgenthau Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.) Box 173.

  6. 6.

    TL dated June 8, 1971 (Collection of Morgenthau Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.).

  7. 7.

    For a comprehensive discussion of Bildung, see George Mosse 1985.German Jews beyond Judaism. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

  8. 8.

    TM, “Highlights of Address to Brussels International Conference on Soviet Jewry”, February 1971, pp. 1–2 (Collection of Morgenthau Papers, Library of Congress, Washington D.C).

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Further Reading

  • Frank, W. 1944. The Jew in Our Day. New York: Duell, Sloan and Pearce.

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  • Herberg, W. 1951. Judaism and Modern Man. An Interpretation of Jewish Religion. Farrar, Straus and Young, and the Jewish Publication Society of America.

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  • Morgenthau, H.J. 1948. Politics Among Nations. New York: Alfred Knopf.

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  • Niebuhr, R. 1932. Moral Man and Immoral Society: A Study in Ethics and Politics. NYC: Charles Scribner’s Sons.

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  • Niebuhr, R. 1949. The Nature and Destiny of Man: A Christian Interpretation. NYC: Charles Scribner’s Sons.

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  • Niebuhr. R. 1953. Christian Realism and Political Problems. NYC: Charles Scribner's Sons.

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  • Frank, W. 1944. The Jew in Our Day. NYC: Duell, Sloan and Pearce.

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  • Waltz, K. 1959. Man, the State and War. NYC: CUP.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel

    Ben Mollov & Shmuel Sandler

Authors
  1. Ben Mollov
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  2. Shmuel Sandler
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Correspondence to Ben Mollov .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. LMU München, München, Germany

    Christoph Rohde

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Mollov, B., Sandler, S. (2021). Reinhold Niebuhr and the State of Israel: A Study in the Foreign Policy of a Christian Realist. In: Rohde, C. (eds) Religion and the Liberal State in Niebuhr's Christian Realism. Staat – Souveränität – Nation. Springer VS, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-34464-1_5

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