Battling the Irony: Israel’s Decision-Making in the First Gulf War

Abstract

Israel’s decision-making during the First Gulf War has been time and again brought to scholarly debates necessarily because of the unconventional choice made by the state, going against its tradition. The decisions were shaped by several levels of the government and organs of the state. An assay to understand the decision-making process in Israel in 1991 using Graham Allison’s three decision-making models resulted in few carefully considered research findings. The bureaucratic politics model perhaps captures and explains the complex behaviour of Israel during the War comparatively better than the rational actor and organisational models.