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–Police state? Not quite. But it’s best to behave yourself hereabouts. A while ago the stories were about Shin Bet interrogators who had tortured Jewish youths accused of burning an Arab home in the West Bank, killing three members of a family, and other crimes. Relatives and other supporters of the accused […]
Police must strike delicate balance in Israel Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — In one of the episodes of the TV drama, Homeland, a CIA operative reports to a meeting of senior officers about his experience in Syria. The discussion proceeds something like this. There are too many militias to count, and more than a few considered important. The US has no strategy guiding
Can radical Islam be defeated or moderated? Read More »
International, Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — It’s hard to find a more emotional issue roiling our American friends than guns and what’s associated with them. Who can have one or lots of them, what the Constitution guarantees, how much damage they produce, and what benefits they offer. A close cousin to gun control are issues of
Gun control in Israel and the U.S. Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Jews like to think that we’re smarter than other people. And those of Israel see themselves as shrewder than cousins who have lived for generations in western countries. However, we don’t always get it right, all at once, or at our first try. We’re currently wondering about our new chief
A new Israeli police chief has a rough start Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Some years ago, a distinguished American academic, Charles Lindblom, published an article, “The Science of Muddling Through.” A little of this, a little of that, in a context where no one is sure what must be done. Not too much in one direction or another will, at least, limit the
Maybe we should call it the ‘Muddle East’ Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–It was possible to hope that this wave of violence was winding down. Soon after Friday prayers at the mosques, there was not much more excitement than routine stone throwing at a light rail train as it passed by an Arab neighborhood. For some time now, the management of the rail line
Tel Aviv shooter dominates Israel media Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Should Israelis be ashamed, or proud, that a former President is in prison for rape, and a former Prime Minister is scheduled to go to the same place for accepting bribes? Perhaps a combination of shame and pride. One on account for the crimes. Another for holding the big guys accountable. In
Katsav, Olmert and now Sarah Netanyahu? Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastSan Diego Jewish World thanks and acknowledges the wonderful contributions of the following writers whose works appeared on our pages in December, 2015: Stephen Baird Kenneth Bandler Laurie Baron Michal Beruven Dan Bloom Shoshana Bryen Richard L. Cravatts Jonathan Greenblatt Toby Klein Greenwald Ryan M. Greiss Donald H. Harrison Natasha Josefowitz Rabbi Ben Kamin Morton
SDJW thanks its December 2015 writers Read More »
Barry Shaw, Donald H. Harrison, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Eileen Wingard, Eric George Tauber, Eva Trieger, Ira Sharkansky, Lawrence Baron, Mark D. Zimmerman, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Mimi Pollack, Natasha Josefowitz, San Diego County, Sheryl Rowling, Shoshana Bryen, Steve KramerBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — The video of religious Jews dancing in ecstasy over the killing of Arabs provokes another note about religion, and Jews’ contribution to the complexity. Some would say the beauty of faith in ideas beyond us. Others would say the mess. What follows might be arcane for some, and not appear
Bible did not define Jewish land borders Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Jewish Religion, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — A video showing young and religious Israeli men–along with at least one enthusiastic old man–dancing at a wedding and celebrating the killing of an Arab family has gone viral. You can see it here. It’s not “dancing” of the ballroom kind familiar in the better circles of the West,
Extremist Jews celebrate Arab family’s murder Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Jews remain an easy target. BDS is the best example. Its leadership is Palestinian, but its appeal is wider. It’s attained the support of students and faculty members at supposedly distinguished universities, as well as assorted labor groups and a motley collection of individuals. There is no lack of opposition to the
A response to the BDS movement Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Where we are is at a place that some would call an anomaly. Palestine is not a country, a state, or even a fully recognized component of Israel or anything else. However, it operates somewhat like a component or dependency (another term that is slippery) of Israel. Israel lets tens of thousands
Despite rhetoric, Israel and P.A. prefer status quo Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — The question of doing it or not is relevant to the most recent action of the IDF. The destruction of a six-story apartment house in a neighborhood of Damascus caused the death of Samir Kuntar, and maybe a few other nasties. Kuntar was prominent in a 1979 terrorist attack on
Costs- benefits of attacks, exchanges, and eating crow Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — In recent days I’ve received e-mails from a right-wing settler arguing–with a supporting attachment authored by Moshe Feiglin–that the young men accused of killing an Arab family are innocent, have alibis, and are being denied their rights by the police and courts, Another e-mail from an American Jew, with a
Damn the extremists; full pragmatism ahead! Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East