The Perilous State of Democracies Without a Constitution with Alon Tal

Does democracy need a written constitution to survive -- and can having one sometimes be a problem? Britain and New Zealand have flourished for generations without a codified constitution. Israel tried the same experiment, but with far fewer institutional guardrails. The constitutional crisis of 2023–2026 offers a dramatic test of what happens when a determined government discovers just how few legal constraints stand in its way. Drawing on Israel’s experience, this lecture also asks an uncomfortable question for American lawyers as well: Which is more dangerous: a constitution that is too easy to change, or one that has become almost impossible to amend?

Alon Tal is a professor and past chair at Tel Aviv University’s department of public policy, specializing in sustainability. Since 2015, he has been a visiting professor each fall at James Madison College at MSU. Between 2021-2022 Tal was a member of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament and served as chair of its subcommittee for Environmental and Climate Impacts on Health. Tal has a law degree from Hebrew University, a doctorate from Harvard University and in the past clerked for Israel’s attorney general.

Organized by the Serling Institute and MSU College of Law. Co-sponsored by the College of Arts and Letters, James Madison College, College of Social Science, International Studies and Programs, and the Asian Studies Center