Comments on: Explaining Israel's high-tech success: Another view

The conventional story relies a lot on myth. But the fuller explanation has to take into account the spillover effect from the nation's rapid military build-up in its first decades of existence.

[flitcraft33]

Israel's high tech success also comes in part from the cultural bias towards intellectual achievement amongst the Jewish people. You don't survive getting kicked around Europe and Asia for two thousand years while avoiding assimilation without developing some smarts. Many cultures have prevented Jews from owning real property, the traditional means of accumulating capital wealth, and therefore we have found other ways. In addition, intelligence and learning was the one always open avenue towards making Jews indispensable wherever they happened to live. Even an inquisitor in Spain preferred Jewish physicians. That same drive has now been turned toward compensating for small numbers in a hostile environment. High tech is an obvious force multiplier in both commerce and warfare. It is, therefore, in an odd way, now natural for Jews to excel in this field.

[inachu]

They are riding on the coat tails of the USA.
Remove AIPAC and AEI and watch them fail.

[inachu]

You can not stop Israel.
They will use any means to get the information anyway they want it.
Passive monitoring using zoom copter kiosks or being hired as a temp.
Either way they will get any information so yeah success but at what cost?

[yonatan2008]

I teach technology related courses in an Israeli Engineering College. The reality here is much less sinister than the hate mongers would have you believe. At least half of my students are Israeli Arabs, many of them women. The students learn side-by-side in a creative open environment. Research projects are carried out by teams , often of completely mixed ethnic backgrounds. I have even had a few Jordanian and Egyptian students as well.I can only pray that the day will come soon that Palestinian society will open up and allow free thinking and open education to all, male and female. Sadly, that is not the case today.

[i_made_this]

Charlie - C|NET got scooped! Can you believe the gall? lol

http://www.securityfocus.com/news/11382

[Martin Rigby]

One other significant factor that would be worth adding to your thesis is
the role of the Soviet immigrants in the late '80s and early '90s. Most of
these were graduates - a significant proportion (maybe 15%) were doctoral
graduates - and many had worked in the Soviet defence industries. This
gives a double whammy where technology developed by the IDF, often in
communications and aerospace, was reinforced by Soviet technology, in areas
such as advanced materials, rocketry and space technology.