Akiva Bigman, a journalist for the Israel Hayom newspaper, explains the Netanyahu doctrine: The vision and strategies behind Binyamin Netanyahu's policies.

When the 2017 U.S. Intensity Index was published in U.S. News & World Report, many Israeli journalists were sweating in their suits. After all, the State of Israel was ranked eighth, ahead of huge countries like Turkey, Italy or Spain.

But what surprised local media has long been known to follow international metrics: In the past decade, the State of Israel has become a leading political force that cannot be ignored.

How did a tiny, resource-less, and encompassed country find itself among the world's most influential countries? What prompted developing countries in Asia and Africa to stubbornly pursue Israel? And how did Iran from the White House good society become an isolated country on the verge of collapse?

The answer is Binyamin Netanyahu's policy of strength.