with Michael Shkolnik

Since 1982, Israel’s military engagements have primarily focused on non-state actors. The current asymmetric dynamic characterizing Israel’s security paradigm led to an evolution in strategic thinking – ‘Mowing the Grass’ – whereby Israel initiates a military campaign to erode enemy capabilities and restore quiet on its borders after enduring provocative escalatory attacks and domestic pressure to stifle the terrorist threat. This presentation explores Israel’s recent interactions with Hamas and Hezbollah in context of this strategic dynamic

Shkolnik is the Cadieux-Léger doctoral fellow at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade, and Development (DFATD) and is a Ph.D. candidate at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, focusing on proto-insurgencies and the conditions that enable terrorist groups to evolve into full-fledged insurrections.