By Dr Ashraf Abul Saud
In geopolitical terms, a “functional state” refers to a country that is created, supported, or leveraged by a major power to advance its political, security, or economic objectives within a specific region.
By this definition, Israel’s relationship with the US stands out as one of the most enduring and robust alliances in the modern international system.
Far beyond a typical bilateral partnership, it has evolved into a deep, multi-dimensional strategic relationship built on shared interests that have proven remarkably durable.
At its core, the alliance serves American goals: safeguarding economic and strategic assets, blocking the rise of rival regional powers, maintaining forward military and intelligence capabilities, and containing adversaries.
This helps Washington shape the balance of power in the Middle East.
Importantly, a functional state does not need to be a puppet. It can enjoy considerable autonomy while remaining organically aligned with the patron’s broader interests.
The foundations of this partnership solidified after the 1967 war. US policymakers came to appreciate Israel’s value as a counterweight to Soviet influence in the Arab world.
Throughout the Cold War, Israel demonstrated its worth by confronting Soviet-backed Arab nationalist regimes, delivering high-quality intelligence, and preserving military dominance in the region.
It also served as a real-world testing ground for American weapons and technology.
After the Soviet Union’s collapse, the alliance only deepened. New challenges emerged: combatting terrorism, containing Iran, securing energy routes, and checking growing Russian and Chinese influence. Israel proved useful in addressing all of them.
Today, Israel functions as one of America’s most important military partners outside NATO.
The landmark 2016 memorandum of understanding, which provided $38 billion in military aid over ten years, underscored this special status.
The package included co-operation on missile defence, intelligence sharing, joint exercises, and continued opportunities to refine US military technology in real-world conditions.
This support has enabled Israel to play a key role in preventing any single power from dominating the Middle East in ways that could threaten American interests.
Its efforts to counter Iranian influence, including through intelligence, targeted operations, diplomatic pressure, and quiet security co-operation with Arab states, illustrate this function clearly.
Israel’s strategic geography, bridging the eastern Mediterranean and the Arab interior, adds another layer of value by allowing close monitoring of critical trade and energy corridors.
The Abraham Accords, while presented as peace initiatives, also advanced the broader goal of integrating Israel into a US-aligned regional architecture to confront shared threats, ones that, in some cases, were exaggerated to encourage Arab governments to seek closer ties with Washington and Israel.
The relationship is not purely one-directional. Israel exerts notable influence on US policy through effective lobbying groups, congressional relationships, electoral dynamics, and deep cultural and religious connections within American society.
Many analysts, therefore, describe it as an unequal strategic partnership rather than simple dependence.
This dynamic helps explain the Middle East’s complex and often volatile political landscape.
Decades of regional power imbalances favouring Israel have fuelled a relentless arms race, complicated (and largely stalled) efforts to resolve the Palestinian issue, and produced a patchwork of Arab-Israeli normalisation deals.
At the same time, several Arab states have grown more dependent on American security guarantees amid heightened polarisation.
In short, Israel functions as a highly capable and relatively autonomous actor that consistently aligns with core US strategic objectives in a vital region.
This functional role, sustained by mutual benefits and deep institutional ties, continues to factor in Middle East dynamics.
Dr Ashraf Abul Saud is a writer and an international relations scholar.
