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–This Middle East is new. It’s much different from a decade ago, and even more so when compared to years earlier. It may not look like the dream and slogans made popular by Shimon Peres and Barack Obama. They can quarrel who owns the label. Both have urged economic, social, and political […]
It’s not Shimon’s nor Barack’s ‘New Middle East’ Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Just as a plane had left the gate at the Baltimore Airport for a flight to Chicago, one passenger saw a “Middle Eastern looking” woman looking at a video that appeared to be associated with the Islamic State. The alert passenger told an attendant, the plane returned to the gate,
People often jump to wrong conclusions during crises Read More »
International, Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — A confluence of events is pointing to the intellectual and political flabbiness at the upper reaches of American government and academies, and suggesting that there isn’t much left to the American generation. If we thought of ourselves as dependent on American leadership, we’re pretty much left to ourselves in
Obama, leftists, blind themselves to jihadist threat Read More »
International, Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — If you do not see the evil inherent in currently popular versions of Islam, it’s time to take another look. Not all Muslims are hateful and inclined to violence. Perhaps only a minority. However, all–or virtually all–those inciting and participating in mass violence are Muslims, and doing it in the name
Will Paris terror mean the end of PC? Read More »
International, Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky SAN DIEGO — This column is prompted by a note I received from an Internet friend who chided me for minimizing the threats of Barack Obama, John Kerry, and BDS. He thinks like Caroline Glick, whose columns express the view that if things aren’t optimal, they are terrible. Glick has a substantial
Let’s not overstate peril to Jews Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Great power? Sovereignty? Nice words, but more appropriate as the targets of a cynic than as a description of reality. Reality is another word that should cause us to wonder. In ancient Athens, Plato wrote about shadows on the wall. Those who see Judaic sources as competing with Greeks’
Absolute power is an absolute chimera Read More »
International, Ira SharkanskyBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–We’ve heard time and again that the Internet and its social sites are changing the nature of politics. People seeking change post their ideas, observations, and schemes without editorial monitoring, including the barbarians who use videos of beheadings to expand recruitment. Currently we are seeing that Facebook postings are tripping an aspiring
Spinning the news, Israeli style Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Being the Chosen People has its downside as well as upside. The benefit may be the self-confidence produced for a people who have chronically have been targets of discrimination, exile, or worse. The problems appear in its contribution to anti-Semitism among those who sneer at the concept, as well as
Israeli divisions make governing all the more difficult Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–It is not yet clear what caused the destruction of the Russian airliner as it flew from the Egyptian resort of Sharm el Sheikh over the Sinai toward Saint Petersburg. However, the betting is an explosive device. Maybe slipped on the plane by a Bedouin baggage handler doing the work of Allah
Aircraft explosion another sign of Mideast turmoil Read More »
International, Ira SharkanskyBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — While there is seldom a let-up in calls from the State Department, White House, or the New York Times that Israel must do more to solve the problem of the Palestinians, there is much less noise about the mess just over the US border with Mexico. There is considerable argument
Mexico, Palestine provide challenges for U.S., Israel Read More »
International, Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USASAN DIEGO (SDJW) – San Diego Jewish World acknowledges and thanks those writers whose works appeared on our daily news website during the month of October. They were: Yael Aires Laurie Baron Dan Bloom Shoshana Bryen Morris Casuto Ben Cohen Richard L. Cravatts Toby Klein Greenwald Donald H. Harrison Natasha Josefowitz Rabbi Ben Kamin Steve
SDJW thanks its October 2015 writers Read More »
Barry Shaw, Donald H. Harrison, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Eileen Wingard, Eva Trieger, Fred Reiss, EdD, Ira Sharkansky, Lawrence Baron, Mark D. Zimmerman, Melanie Rubin, Michael Ordman, San Diego County, Shoshana Bryen, Steve KramerBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Recent headlines have featured calls by an IDF General and the US Secretary of State, saying that Israel and Palestine must begin a political process in order to deal with a cycle of violence otherwise likely to get worse and last for a long time. Some in their chorus express a
Are agreements possible with fantasy world residents? Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Among the themes apparent in the responses to my columns are the following. With a little effort, it’s possible to find a solution for the misery of the Palestinians and their failure to agree on the details of two states. Israel should try harder. Several of my correspondents have offered their
Letter writers have five typical themes about Israel Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — We are seeing in recent events the advantages of a state, as well as reasons to doubt the wisdom of creating a Palestinian state. It’s not a simple issue. A state can discipline its people, via decisions of a government, police, and courts. However, Palestinians speak and act in numerous ways,
Statehood for Palestine? There are pros and cons Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East