Generals in the Cabinet Room: How the Military Shapes Israeli Policy [Paperback]

Yoram Peri (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2006

A dramatic shift of power has taken place within Israel’s political system; where once the military was usually the servant of civilian politicians, today, argues Yoram Peri, generals lead the way when it comes to foreign and defense policymaking.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Yoram Peri, a former senior fellow at the United States Institute of Peace, is head of the Chaim Herzog Institute for Media, Politics, and Society and professor of political sociology and communication at Tel Aviv University. He was a political advisor to Yitzhak Rabin, and has been editor-in-chief of the Israeli daily Davar. His books include Between Battles and Ballots, The Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, and Telepopulism.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: United States Institute of Peace (May 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1929223811
• ISBN-13: 978-1929223817
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,264,848 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential reading on today's Middle East, September 2, 2006

By 

Joseph Klaits (Durham, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Generals in the Cabinet Room: How the Military Shapes Israeli Policy (Paperback)

Anyone seeking explanations for Israel's hasty and ill-considered decision to go to war against Hezbollah in Lebanon in July 2006 should begin with this outstanding book -- published just before the conflict -- as background. Yoram Peri is Israel's leading authority on civil-military relations. He writes presciently about the risks of allowing the military to monopolize Israel's intelligence apparatus, inviting generals into cabinet meetings to formulate policy, giving senior officers unlimited freedom to make media appearances, and encouraging a revolving door for ex-generals who retire to become politicians.

Peri convincingly analyzes the shifts in Israeli policies since the late 1980's as a reflection of the military leadership's changing perceptions of the country's security needs. His approach is subtle, recognizing that the generals first supported and advanced the Oslo peace process during the early 1990's before abandoning hope for peace with the Palestinians by the end of the decade. In each phase the views of the active and retired senior officers deeply influenced Israel's policy choices.

Peri concludes with a series of recommendations for reform, which, had they been in place when Hezbollah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers, might well have produced a range of viable policy alternatives for the civilian leaders, sparing the elected government from adopting the generals' recommendation to launch a poorly-designed military campaign in Lebanon.

The book is clearly written and is solidly based on interviews with numerous high-level officials. This is a worthy sequel to Peri's earlier book, Between Battles and Ballots, showing that state control over the military has been weak since Israel's founding. Peri's important work holds cautionary lessons for all democracies, including the U.S. since 9/11, that struggle against terrorists and seek to make the most of their militaries without giving them control over national policy.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Traces recent military-political Israeli history with especial focus on the 1990's and beyond, September 11, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Generals in the Cabinet Room: How the Military Shapes Israeli Policy (Paperback)

Generals In The Cabinet Room: How The Military Shapes Israeli Policy by Yoram Peri (Professor of Political Sociology And Communication at Tel Aviv University) forcefully and persuasively argues the premise that while once Israel's military was the servant of its civilian political leadership, today it is the Israeli generals who have the lead in foreign and defense policymaking. The repercussions for Israeli--Palestinian relations, Israeli democracy, and other democracies are potentially earthshaking. Generals In The Cabinet Room traces recent military-political Israeli history with especial focus on the 1990's and beyond, and warns of a future in which democracy itself could potentially fall victim to too much militarization. Highly recommended.