Ira Sharkansky is professor emeritus of political science and public administration at Hebrew University.
His books, which are available on Amazon, include:
*Alternative federal solutions to the problem of the administered territories
*Ambiguity, Coping, and Governance: Israeli Experiences in Politics, Religion, and Policymaking
*Ancient and Modern Israel: An Exploration of Political Parallels
*Coping with Terror: An Israeli Perspective
* Governing Israel: Chosen People, Promised Land and Prophetic Tradition
*Governing Jerusalem: Again on the World’s Agenda
* Israel and its Bible: A Political Analysis
* Maligned States: policy accomplishments, problems and opportunities
* Policy Analysis in Political Science
* Policy and Politics in American Governments
* Policy Making in Israel: Routines for Simple Problems and Coping with the Complex
* Politics and Planning in the Holy City
* Politics and Policymaking in Search of Simplicity
* Public Administration: Agencies, Policies, and Politics
* Public Administration Policy Making in Government Agencies
* Public Administration (2nd Edition): Policy Making in Government Agencies
* Regionalism in American Politics
* Rituals of Conflict: Religion, Politics, and Public Policy in Israel
* Spending in the American States
* The Policy Predicament: Making and Implementing Public Policy
* The Political Economy of Israel
* The Politics of Religion and the Religion of Politics
*The Politics of Taxing and Spending
* The Routines of Politics
* The United States: A Study of a Developing Country
* The United States Revisited: A Study of a Still Developing Country
* Urban Politics and Public Policy [Robert Lineberry]
* What Makes Israel Tick: How Domestic Policy-Makers Cope with Restraints
* Wither the State: Politics and Public Enterprise in Three Countries
By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — It’s time for another round of that hoary folk song about disaster just about everywhere, i.e., “They’re rioting in Africa, they’re starving in Spain . . . ” The ugliest story concerns more than 70 bodies, decomposed to a smelly lump making counts difficult and identification impossible, found in a […]
Mass migration an unwelcome fact of life Read More »
International, Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM –The proposal by Gilad Erdan, Minister of Internal Security to appoint Gal Hirsch to head the police provides us with some insight into the workings of Israeli society and politics, as well as some general lessons about difficult decisions. The appointment is one of the most important that can made in
Hirsch choice for police chief stirs emotions Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — If there was a measure that compared a place’s contribution to the noise of the world to its size, Israel would be somewhere close to the top . Over the years we’ve seen claims that Israel leads in the number of foreign correspondents per capita, the media space and time
Wags say Israel is a city disguised as a country Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — We’re currently going through one of the periodic events of Israeli politics, like those of other democracies, where players past and present are sniping at one another while claiming the high ground for themselves. The occasion is an interview in which Ehud Barak (former head of the IDF, Prime Minister,
Did Barak and Netanyahu plan to bomb Iran? Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Historians do some of the best writing, but each only explains part of what happened. Asserting that this or that event, person, or idea was a key to what happened may be useful, but not the complete story. Some tales of history distort or mislead more than they help our understanding. Narratives compete
Is Islamism a world changer? Read More »
International, Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — The incidence of Arab attacks on Israelis has increased, to the point that officials have begun to use the worrying word, “intifada.” Most, so far, appear to have been the work of inspired individuals, not well planned or executed, that end up with greater harm to the attacker than to the
Whispers of a third intifada Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah delivered a speech last week on the 9th anniversary of the Second Lebanon War, in which he yet again declared victory, praised those who died in defense of all that was good, and chided Israel on its lack of a strategy for victory in Lebanon. A
Lebanon: Another of Israel’s problems without solution Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM –The British government provides for petitions to be listed on a web site that people can sign electronically. If 10,000 people sign, the Government is expected to look into the matter; if 100,000 people sign, it must be considered by Parliament for debate. Sounds like a lovely way to involve the
Netanyahu war crimes petition gains in UK Read More »
International, Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — The US State Department and Justice Department are wrestling with an issue concerned with a verdict handed down by a Federal Court in New York. It involves a civil suit, brought by American families who suffered injuries and death due to Palestinian terror attacks in Israel. The jury decided in
State Dept. backs lower court bond for P.A. appeal Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — It’s worth pondering at some length Barack Obama’s overlooking of Winston Churchill in his comment that he does not remember a case when a foreign official involved himself as much in American politics as Benyamin Netanyahu. Churchill was intent in bringing the United States into the European war, and it is
In lobbying, Netanyahu emulates Churchill Read More »
International, Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Barack Obama’s latest contribution to relations between the US and Israel is the comment that he does not recall a foreign leader who has involved himself in American politics as much as Benyamin Netanyahu. That may be true or not. It is hard to conceive of a metric that would measure
Israel, U.S. involved in each other’s politics Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — There is a great deal swirling around us concerned with Iran and the US. It is impossible to know anything for sure, but these appear to be points more or less clear. Barack Obama believes strongly in diplomacy. He’s willing to use a bit of military power against the ugliest
The Iran N- deal and the U.S. debate Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — There is hardly a city or town in Israel’s Jewish sector without a street named for Shaul Tchernichovsky, and his picture is on the 50 shekel bill. Currently we hear several times a day that this is the 140th anniversary of his birth, with frequent renderings of his poetry in
Deals vs. ideals face leaders of Israel, U.S. Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM –Commentators have long noted that Israel is a western outpost in the Muslim Middle East, and suffers accordingly. This column accepts such a designation, but begins with a slightly different perspective, and seeks to learn what is relevant for the here and now. The Middle East is not only Muslim, or nearly
Middle East is a Third World region Read More »
International, Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USA