Elli Lieberman
Lecturer, Joseph and Alma Gildenhorn Institute for Israel Studies
Joseph and Rebecca Meyerhoff Program and Center for Jewish Studies
Elli Lieberman teaches at the University of Maryland in Baltimore County and College Park. His areas of interest include international security, the Middle East, the Arab-Israeli conflict, deterrence theory, and WMD Proliferation. His articles appeared in Security Studies, the Institute for National Strategic Studies, and several books. His most recent publications are Deterring Terrorism: A Model for Strategic Deterrence (Routledge: Contemporary Terrorism Studies, 2018) and Reconceptualizing Deterrence: Nudging toward Rationality in Middle Eastern rivalries (Routledge Global Security Studies, 2013). Dr. Lieberman earned his Ph.D. in international relations and political science from the University of Chicago. He has also taught at Missouri State University and Loyola University.
Publications
Why Deterrence Failed on October 7, 2023?
This article employs lessons from cases of both successful and failed deterrence in a longitudinal study of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Author/Lead: Elli LiebermanIsraeli policymakers have relied on cumulative deterrence strategies to combat terrorism. However, Israel has consistently failed to deter Hamas’ attacks, not only on October 7 but also in 2008-09, 2012, 2014, and 2021. A critical yet often overlooked observation is that cumulative deterrence strategies coupled with robust denial capabilities can lead to an attrition trap, which serves as a victory strategy for weaker actors, ultimately resulting in deterrence failure rather than success.
INSS The Institute for National Security Studies Strategic, Innovative, Policy-Oriented Research