Welcome to The Times of Israel's Lazar Focus. Each Friday, join host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan and diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe.

Last week, the pair spoke with foremost urban warfare expert John Spencer and Borschel-Dan noted that a term -- “nation-building” -- was raised repeatedly.

In this week's episode, we explore this concept, starting with defining the term.

We hear about previous models of nation-building, starting from Japan and Germany, following their defeats in World War II. We learn how these attempts were successful -- and former enemies quickly turned into allies.

We then turn to more recent history with the West's attempts to reshape Afghanistan and Iraq. What were the differences between the two wars and their aftermaths?

And finally, Berman applies the lessons learned in these previous attempts at nation-building and conjectures how they could -- or could not -- be applied in Gaza.

Lazar Focuscan be found on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.

IMAGE: Lazar Berman (courtesy) / A general view shows a Security Council meeting at the UN headquarters, September 23, 2025, at the United Nations. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)

Welcome to The Times of Israel's <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/topic/friday-focus/">Lazar Focus</a>. Each Friday, join host <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/amanda-borschel-dan/">deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan</a> and <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/lazar-berman/">diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman</a> for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe.
Last week, the pair spoke with foremost urban warfare expert John Spencer and Borschel-Dan noted that a term -- &ldquo;nation-building&rdquo; -- was raised repeatedly.
In this week's episode, we explore this concept, starting with defining the term.
We hear about previous models of nation-building, starting from Japan and Germany, following their defeats in World War II. We learn how these attempts were successful -- and former enemies quickly turned into allies.
We then turn to more recent history with the West's attempts to reshape Afghanistan and Iraq. What were the differences between the two wars and their aftermaths?
And finally, Berman applies the lessons learned in these previous attempts at nation-building and conjectures how they could -- or could not -- be applied in Gaza.
Lazar Focus can be found on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.
IMAGE: Lazar Berman (courtesy) / A general view shows a Security Council meeting at the UN headquarters, September 23, 2025, at the United Nations. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)

Welcome to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing: Your update on what’s important in Israel, the Middle East and The Jewish World.

Welcome to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing: Your update on what&rsquo;s important in Israel, the Middle East and The Jewish World.