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 — Trust, loyalty, and interdependence have been keywords in numerous complaints and rants over the last few days, since the government decided in favor of its ultra-Orthodox colleagues and against overseas Jews. There is no certainty in what comes next in this column, and it is not meant as a personal […]
Trust a rare political commodity in Israel Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Before we were disturbed by a dust-up among Jews about the Western Wall and conversion, we were befuddled by another delegation of ranking Americans prodding Israelis and Palestinians to sit around a table and make peace. What these worthies do not grasp is that there already is peace. It ain’t perfect,
Arabs and Jews seem to get along in Jerusalem Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — The Jews of Israel are watching Muslims near and far killing themselves, and contemplating horror scenarios of a serious threat from Iran, Hezbollah, or some other evil source. There are near daily efforts of individual Palestinians to attack Jews, but for the most part, the Muslim front is quiet for
Jews are fighting themselves in Israel, abroad Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — There are attractions in the Jewish State, but also problems. Given its location and population, no surprise that they are the problems of living with Jews, and Arabs. They aren’t the same problems, and it isn’t obvious which are the most serious, or threatening. Arab citizens are some 20 percent of
Israel’s diverse population yields many factions Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Jewish Religion, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Democracy is a noisy business. Neither Israelis nor Americans need to be reminded. The commotions surrounding Donald Trump and Benyamin Netanyahu have a history, one longer than the other reflecting Bibi’s span at the top of government, and the noise focused on both seems to be ascending. Will they end
Noisy argument endemic to Israeli, U.S. democracies Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Some might prefer “Maneuvering between the bullets” for the title of this column. Whether bullets or raindrops, the concern is for the efforts of Israeli officials and others to avoid the pitfalls that appear at numerous places on our political and social landscapes. Recent examples involve the problem of reducing
Maneuvering between the raindrops Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — The slippery subject of academic freedom has moved into our headlines with a draft code of ethics for universities and their personnel. It is the work of Professor Asa Kasher, a philosophy professor at Tel Aviv University, and the author of the IDF’s code of ethics. He prepared this code at
Proposed Israeli ethics code angers university faculties Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & EducationBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — The 50 years since the Six Day war has brought forth an outpouring of memories and analyses of that event and what various individuals trace to it. Leaving aside the impossibility of summarizing and reaching a conclusion about all that is being remembered about that war, what preceded and what
Historic events like the 1967 war have many antecedents Read More »
International, Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — There’s another American President asserting his intention of bring peace to Israel and Palestine. So far his string of failures, flubs, and foolishness in this and other fields provides little hope that he’ll do any better than a host of others. Yet his words, to the extent that they can
What Trump may not know about the knotty Middle East Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — He says that he wants to settle things between Israel and Palestine. His initial venture outside the US, to the Middle East, may indicate the importance that he assigns to it. There was also a business deal with the Saudis, that will bring more work to American industries. Along the
Trump and the complex Middle East Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Profession? Craft? Learned skills? We’re not dealing with something like medicine, engineering, or law, with fixed courses of study built up over the years, and official organs handing out licenses to those who pass muster. However, the continuing flubs of the amateur who got himself to the White House invites
The ‘profession’ of politics Read More »
International, Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM –We live well despite the nonsense the comes from those who think of themselves as the worthies of the world, as well as our neighbors, and occasional waves of violence. It’s the Jewish condition, carried over along with the strength of Israel and its capacity to protect us from the worst
Adversaries throw dubious charges against Israel, hoping something perhaps will stick Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM –Some 40 years ago, I published a book entitled The United States: A Study of A Developing Country. The idea came from my home town. Fall River, Massachusetts, where 30 percent of my age group did not finish high school, and the average adult had 8 years of schooling. The idea
Israelis have mixed feelings about Trump visit Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — בלגנים Balaganim The word means situations of confusion, mess, or chaos, and it applied to several features of the US and Israel as we departed one and headed towards the other. According to professional sources, “balagan” came to Israeli Hebrew from our Persian cousins as well as some other regional
Israel, U.S. leaders both subjects of probes Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA