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 — We should pity them, as well as oppose their wildest demands. Those claiming to speak for them (the terms “leader” or “leadership” are too grandiose for their history) have brought them to blind alleys. Demanding too much (it would not be an exaggeration to say “demanding everything,” or “everything imaginable”) […]
What have P.A., Gaza leaderships wrought Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Roads to hell. We know they’re paved with good intentions. Jews wanting to improve things for themselves and others have been as guilty as anyone. The latest example is Jews, including some Israelis, who participate in BDS for the sake of humanity as they see it. We’ve been paving those
Hurting ourselves in the name of ‘humanity’ Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Jewish Religion, Middle East
SAN DIEGO (SDJW)—San Diego Jewish World acknowledges and thanks those writers whose bylines and photo credit lines appeared during the month of June and the first few days of July on its website. They included: David Amos Stephen Hazan Arnoff Laurie Baron David Bedein Edwin Black Dan Bloom Shoshana Bryen Stephen Bryen Garry Fabian Donald
SDJW thanks June, early July contributors Read More »
Barry Shaw, Donald H. Harrison, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Edwin Black, Eileen Wingard, Eric George Tauber, Eva Trieger, Fred Reiss, EdD, Ira Sharkansky, Lawrence Baron, Mark D. Zimmerman, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Michael Ordman, Mimi Pollack, Natasha Josefowitz, Sheryl Rowling, Shor M. Masori, Shoshana Bryen, Steve KramerBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Israel has long been described as the one democracy in the Middle East. It remains that, no matter how critics try to twist policies they do not like into a condemnation of the process that created them. Now it’s also an island of relative calm between two serious wars that
Israel between two Arab wars Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Israelis are accustomed to not knowing what’s happening. With the most thoroughgoing security arrangements in western democracies, there is a lot they don’t tell us. The military experience most have had provides its own lessons on the workings of a high compartmentalized organization, and realizing that there are things we do not
Israelis wonder what’s behind violence uptick Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — It’s time for the Jews to honor yet again their traditions to be a light unto the nations, and to show concern for the highest ideals of justice. Our first item of business ought to recognize that any ranking of national misery would not find Israel anywhere close to the
Compared to elsewhere, Israel has few worries Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — You enjoy the complexities and nuances of policy debates? Try working your way through Israel’s efforts to deal with the gas found under its section of the Mediterranean. Several years after the discovery, we seem to be at a peak of dispute about sorting out who should control the stuff,
The sticky business of Israel’s oil policies Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — The word terror connects with the anxiety that comes from violence that targets civilians. A bus or restaurant that a suicide bomber selects for his or her sacrifice, a roadside bomb laid by someone who chooses to kill without dying, or a group of school kids or supermarket patrons held
The hydra- headed problem of Islamic terror Read More »
International, Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Israelis were primed for the publication of the United Nations Human Rights Council Report on Gaza 2014. Expectations were that there would be harsh condemnations of Israel, and thus the heads of the two right of center parties in the government responded as soon as the report was issued. Minister
UNHRC report unlikely to prompt any changes Read More »
International, Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Minister of Culture Miri Regev and spokespeople of Israeli culture have been several days in the headlines, shouting at one another and past one another. Those claiming to speak for the better things are accusing the Minister of censorship. The Minister is saying that writers, artists, playwrights, and actors can say and
Criticism okay, messing with the economy isn’t Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Politics is the essence of civilization. It’s the way to solve issues via dispute, voting, and compromise without bloodshed. It need not be dispassionate. Issues are important, and at times pressing. However, it is easy to exaggerate the tensions that erupt, seize headlines, excite threats of retribution, and then disappear
When political views go over the edge Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — The Druze are part of the religious/ethnic/cultural mosaic that makes the Middle East a fascinating and dangerous place. There ought to be a sign wherever outsiders may enter the region. One line should read, Enter at your risk. Another line should read, Enter at our risk. Several American Presidents have
Israeli Druze plead for Israel to help Syrian brethren Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Who’s winning? Nobody. Among the refrains we hear from Israelis, overseas friends, and those sitting on the fence is that Israel (the government and the people) do not do enough to explain themselves. Hah! The sounds of Israeli efforts to explain themselves are deafening to those who bother to listen.
No winners in Israel vs. P.A. propaganda war Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Now it’s almost official, having become the subject of a detailed article in The Economist. Barack Obama has produced a New Middle East, but it ain’t the one he intended. Democracy has not blossomed as called for in his Cairo speech of 2009. The new Egyptian government that the American President
Saudi- Israel relations warm as Iran threat looms Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USA