Victoria C. Gardner Coates

Victoria Coates' forth coming book "The Battle for the Jewish State: How Israel--and America--Can Win" traces the unfolding war after the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by the Palestinian terrorist organization, Hamas. The attack, underwritten by the Islamic Republic of Iran, unleashed unspeakable terrors on the Israeli population. Most of the world reacted with horror to Hamas’ actions. But many commentators labeled the Jewish people, and Israel as a nation, as oppressors. The Palestinians, according to their Marxist calculus, were the oppressed. A legion of figures in academia, the media, and the United States then declared support for Palestine, the perpetrator of the atrocities. Many American institutions have been indoctrinated and transformed into puppets who propagate the hateful antisemitism that has returned to the West. Why does Israel exist? Why is it worthy of remaining a critical ally of the United States?  Is there an alternative partner for America in the Middle East? Why have critical race theorists identified Israel and the U.S. as the most pernicious examples of “settler colonialism”? Answers to these questions were developing during the first term of President Trump leading to the first peace deals between Israel and Arab neighbors in a quarter century, known as the Abraham Accords. But they were promptly abandoned by the Biden-Harris administration, imperiling both Israel and the United States. In The Battle to Save the Jewish State, scholar Victoria Coates shows how the current conflict in Israel is not a regional issue to be resolved through an interminable diplomatic peace process. Rather, it is a broader military and cultural war that must be won for the sake not only of Israel, but of the United States. Dr. Coates is the vice president of the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy at the Heritage Foundation. Coates’ personal scholarship focuses on building global energy security, countering predatory Chinese activity, expanding the historic Abraham Accords, and establishing a US-led Middle East strategic alliance. The author of "David’s Sling: A History of Democracy in Ten Works of Art" (Encounter Books, 2016), Coates routinely appears on TV and radio and her writing has appeared in outlets including Bloomberg, the New York Post, and the Wall Street Journal. Coates previously served as the senior policy advisor to the secretary of energy and deputy national security advisor for the Middle East and North Africa on the national security council for President Donald J. Trump. She also served as the national security advisor for Senator Ted Cruz, and Director for Research for former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Coates holds a BA from Trinity College, a MA from Williams College, and a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania, all in art history.  Dr. Coates lives in Philadelphia with her husband, two children and three dogs.