Ira Sharkansky is professor emeritus of political science and public administration at Hebrew University.
His books, which are available on Amazon, include:
By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — The future is not clear. Yet it is common to frighten or encourage with predictions that appear to be certain. Those who know that things will get worse have no more claim on our time than those who are certain that everything will work out fine. Bibi’s rejection of Obama’s […]
Trouble with predicting future is that present keeps changing it Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–The results of a poll, just released, shed light on the stall in what optimist label the peace process. It is just a bit of light, insofar as the results should not surprise anyone. A majority of Israelis (54 percent of those polled), are willing to withdraw from territory in
Prospect of Middle Eastern peace becoming fainter Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM –Last weekend the Egyptian government announced that it had arrested an agent of the Mossad who had been sent to Cairo to provoke demonstrations against the regime. The culprit is Ilan Grapel, since featured in a number of media reports. Descriptions by those who knew him are of an
Israeli ‘agent’ Grapel failed to grapple with Egyptian realities Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — The lead story in Monday’s Ha’aretz carries the headline, “U.S. pressuring Netanyahu to accept Obama’s peace plan; Israeli source says Americans frustrated with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for hampering U.S. efforts to stop Palestinians trying UN route to statehood in September” It is not clear if this is coming
Is Palestinian reconciliation unraveling? Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM –The United States has added another Muslim country to the list where its soldiers are fighting. The administration that is dead set against condemning Islam is now active in Yemen as well as Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, Somalia, and Libya. Some are major battlegrounds, others provide occasional activity against targets of
U.S. now fighting in seven Muslim countries Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Go to war. Then think about it. It’s the story of Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, and now Libya. The New York Times reported: “As NATO airplanes and attack helicopters struck fresh targets in Tripoli and the oil port of Brega on Sunday, senior British and American officials said there was no
Wars, U.S. statements on Mideast, examples of not thinking matters through Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — When I lit up my computer on Monday morning, the lead story on the New York Times Internet site reported on Palestinian-Syrian efforts to send a mass of demonstrators toward the Israeli border on the Golan Heights. The article described the motives of the Syrian regime to distract attention from
Syria demonstrates usefulness of world’s obsession with Palestine Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastJERUSALEM — People fortunate enough to live in Anglo-Saxon regimes may be forgiven for assuming that governments are likely to be stable. The United States, Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have good records, but the blessings were generally not passed on to other places they governed. Except for Israel and India, none of the
Middle East violence demonstrates difficulty of succession under dictatorships Read More »
Ira SharkanskyBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — This is a story still developing, with potential to harm or at least to intrigue. It concerns Sami Ofer, one of the world’s richest men, and perhaps the richest of Israel, whose family businesses involve shipping, banking, chemicals, and refining. There are also addresses for the family and its businesses
Israeli business tycoon doing business with Iran? Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Notions of justice will not go away. In response to my recent comment about having an equivalent lack of patience with the Palestinians’ claims about a right of return and the Jews’ claims about a God-given title to the Land of Israel, one of my friends responded, “without the ‘claims that God
By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — The basic flaw in the Palestinian logic, joined by Barack Obama and lots of others, is the problem in turning back history. Why 1967? Why not something else, earlier or later, equally irrelevant? By this thinking, what we call the eastern part of United States could still be
In the Middle East, as elsewhere, time marches on Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–As I understand what has happened: Prior to Barack Obama’s ascendance to the presidency, the Palestinians of the West Bank and Israel were moving at their own pace to a tolerable coexistence. A technocrat as prime minister, financial aid and training by the United States and Jordan had improved Palestinian security
The Nobel Prize-winning President made matters worse Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — It is hard to imagine a better show than two heads of state, both fluent, and capable of pushing the buttons that bring forth waves of applause. Barack Obama and Benyamin Netanyahu know how to do it. The immediate commentary in Israel was either partisan or skeptical. Party colleagues
Mixed reviews for ‘Mr. Netanyahu Goes to Washington’ Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — We’re in the midst of a competitive talkathon. Barack has spoken twice, once to clarify things after Bibi spoke out against his first speech. Bibi has spoken to AIPAC and his bigger one will be to Congress. What came through Israel Radio’s coverage of the AIPAC speech was less intense
Israel, U.S., now negotiating in public Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East