Ira Sharkansky

Ira Sharansky

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

Israelis in full debate over Iran’s nuclear facilities

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Currently the most prominent discussion is whether to discuss the prospect of Israel attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities. On one side of this argument are extremists who think the public should be involved in a detailed debate about everything: the threat, the way Israel should meet it, perhaps leaving the timing […]

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

Arab protests, Occupy movement give little reason for optimism

By Ira SharkanskyJERUSALEM — My cynic’s view of events sees a connection between Arab  Spring/Summer/Fall/Winter and the protests in Tel Aviv and on Wall Street, also  said to be happening in 900 cities of 80 countries. (Ha’aretz, October  16, p. 7) Crowds of decent people, along with politically correct leaders, who  seek improvements with little

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Ira Sharkansky, Travel and Food

Galilee tour: ancient synagogues where men and women were not separated

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — There are enough assertions about the “essence of Judaism” to keep Jews and others arguing for another 3,000 years. One of those essences is political. As I read the Hebrew Bible, and consider the holidays on the Hebrew calendar, Judaism provides a central sacred place to the history of the

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Ira Sharkansky, Jewish Religion

Libyan dictator’s violent death depicts neighborhood in which Israel lives

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — You’ve heard that a picture is worth a thousand words. You’ve seen the pictures of Muammar Qaddifi’s death. Given the comments of Barack Obama and the analysis that appeared in the New York Times, I’m not at that sure that enough American understand what they have seen. Recall George W.

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

Changing the system requires agreed-upon goals

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — A headline in today’s Ha’aretz, “From New York to Tokyo,  demonstrations in more than 900 cities and 80 countries against capitalism and  in behalf of social reform. In Tel Aviv they blocked streets.” Another item  reports that a Reuters survey in the United States found 38 percent viewing the  demonstrations

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

By overdemanding, Palestinians removed their goals from serious consideration

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–There are several ways of describing the essence of politics. All of them mean pretty much the same thing: Go along in order to get along Compromise Recognize your limits One who demands too much may end up with nothing There is no absolute justice Justifications for one or another demand are

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

As Yom Kippur ends, social protest and peace with Palestinians return to fore

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — The New Year has begun and Yom Kippur is behind us. Two prominent issues  wait for treatment: peace with the Palestinians and a response to domestic  social protest. The Prime Minister says that he is working hard to achieve both  goals. Optimists are asking themselves if they can expect decisive

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

West should not pressure Israelis, Palestinians on peace agreement

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — For some time now, Israeli news has been leading off with the latest comments from international worthies about the need for Israel and Palestinians to agree on two states etc etc. This morning an American friend sent me a link to a Time article about the distancing of young American

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East