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 –These columns reproduce themselves. Correspondents send me items I haven’t seen, and provide material for another session on the keyboard. Monday morning there were several items in my inbox that led to this item in my outbox. Nothing provided anything new about issues that have been developing for some time, but the […]
Jews mark successes but anti- Semitism forever lurks Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — There is a lot of news hereabouts. The items may be threatening to individuals, but not, apparently, to the society. Indeed, some of them may help us clean a bit of the dirt that accumulates here, not all that different from other places. We’re still dealing with the soldier who
Israel has numerous running political stories Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastSAN DIEGO — San Diego Jewish World expresses its appreciation to the byliners and staff photographers whose works appeared in March 2016 editions. They included: David Amos Eitan Arom Judy Lash Balint Kenneth Bandler Laurie Baron Amber Bartlett Jeremy Ben-Ami Boaz Bismuth Ronnie Blair Dan Bloom Shoshana Bryen Stephen Bryen Cynthia Citron Richard L. Cravatts Jack Forman
SDJW thanks its March 2016 contributors Read More »
Barry Shaw, Cynthia Citron, Donald H. Harrison, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Eileen Wingard, Eric George Tauber, Eva Trieger, Fred Reiss, EdD, Ira Sharkansky, Lawrence Baron, Mark D. Zimmerman, Melanie Rubin, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Michael Ordman, Natasha Josefowitz, Sheryl Rowling, Shor M. Masori, Shoshana Bryen, Steve KramerJERUSALEM –Brussels International Airport remains closed a week after the attack, with pictures of extensive damage, and officials warning that the facility may remain closed “for months.” An article in The Economist laments the problems in airport check-in halls, entrances to the building, drop off points outside, and the greater problems in providing security
Airport security, Israeli style Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Abu Ghraib was a prison in Iraq where sadistic US soldiers tormented and tortured Arab prisoners with no apparent purpose other than a gratification of what seemed like the Americans’ pathological desire to inflict humiliation, fright, and pain. Israel’s current brouhaha is not the same, except in the nature of
Shooting of prone Palestinian terrorist stirs controversy Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — A recent visit with a young Japanese friend, a paratrooper in the IDF, provided an insight into the nature of Israel and other places. He said that fellow soldiers take him for Chinese or Korean, even though he explains that he comes from Japan. Israelis do a lot of traveling
To know Israel is to know the ethnic players Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Once again a high profile Islamic attack raises some crucial questions about Europe.. Key to understanding what is happening, and what is not happening, is a critical issue in the whole question of what has become of Europe since World War II. As a result of US encouragement, and European
EU must weigh openness vs. security Read More »
International, Ira Sharkansky
By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Those maps of the Middle Ages that put Jerusalem at the center of the world are still relevant. They were created by Christians whose faith began with the life and death of Christ in and around this city. Despite surveys in western countries that show declines in religious adherence or literal acceptance of
Many outside forces seek to affect Israel’s future Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — The news on Saturday night and Sunday was of a suicide bombing in Istanbul, with three Israeli tourists among the dead. Some will see a political irony in the death of an Iranian, as well. It’s not clear whether the presence of an Israeli tour group prompted the attack, whether
Suffering is not what makes Jews unique Read More »
International, Ira Sharkansky, Jewish History, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–An American friend, who is almost as old as I am, can’t remember a presidential election with worse choices. An internet friend wrote about a bumper sticker, “I hate them both.” Another likes ABC, Anybody but Clinton. The latter recalls a movement in the Knesset when the Members had to select a
Clinton v. Trump seen as unpalatable choice Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — We should think about the implications of what we do. Bad things may come from good intentions. On the other hand, predicting the future with anything close to certainty should have limited appeal. There are lots of variables, factors, and phenomena that interact with what we do. All those things
Putin, Saudi Arabia, U.S. elections changing Mideast Read More »
International, Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Occasional expressions of concern for our safety come from overseas. Their primary worries are about Palestinians or Arabs. As I began writing this, a weatherman friend who lives in the West Bank warned me about the approach of high winds. “Stay away from swaying trees” was his message. Life is
Violence aside, life in Israel is very good Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — There have been recent mutterings about the personal enmity between the great leaders, with the greatest of them all wondering about his years at the top. And Israelis arguing about the nature of Palestinian violence. Connecting the two kinds of speculation is a widespread need to know, despite the reality
Israel and the U.S. — The state of the states Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Has Prime Minister Netanyahu really insulted the President of the United States and the whole American establishment by canceling a scheduled meeting at the White House? Can we believe the announced reason, that he did not want to be seen involving himself in US politics during a contentious presidential primary
As Obama’s term wanes, Mideast turmoil remains Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USA