Geopolitics and Diplomacy: Looking to Israel

The University’s Department of International Relations hosted its annual seminar on foreign policy, dedicated this year to Israel. More than two hundred students attended the event in person and from different parts of the world online. The inauguration was presided by the Rector of the University, Enrique Sanz Giménez-Rico SJ; the Dean of the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences (Comillas CIHS), Susanne Cadera; and Professor of International Relations and coordinator of the seminar, Alberto Priego.

The event saw a contribution from the Ambassador of Israel in Spain, Rodica Radian-Gordon, who gave an overview of Israeli-Spanish relations, focusing on the 20th century, when these links saw positive changes, coinciding with Spain's entry into the EU in 1986. The Ambassador also explained Israel’s place in geopolitical terms, describing the context of the country for a better understanding of the different subjects that would be covered during the seminar. In addition to Radian-Gordon, a number of Israeli university academics also participated in a series of round table discussions.

The first of those saw the participation of Federico de Montalvo, Vice-Rector of Institutional Relations and General Registry Office; Noah Hakim, spokesperson for the Embassy of Israel in Spain; Miguel Ors, Deputy Editor of Actualidad Económica; and political analyst, Marta González Isidoro, who analysed Israel's political, economic, diplomatic and defence system. That was followed by a conference chaired by Arie Kacowicz, academic at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, on structural aspects of Israeli foreign policy.

The second round table discussion dealt with bilateral relations between Israel and other countries like the United States, Arab countries, Russia and countries in Latin America. There were presentations from Pablo Biderbost, Head of Studies of Comillas Pontifical University; Eytan Gilboa, Professor at Bar-Ilan University; Alberto Priego, Professor of International Relations at Comillas Pontifical University; and Nicolás de Pedro, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Statecraft.

Closing addresses were heard from Javier Márquez Vigil, Vice-Dean of Institutional Relations and Research at the Faculty of Economics & Business; José Luis Rey, Vice Dean of Research, Institutional and International Relations and Economics at the Faculty of Law and Emilio Sáenz Francés, Director of the Department of International Relations of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Previous editions of the seminar have focused on the foreign policy of the United States, Australia, France, Japan and Argentina.