The Palestinian Regime: A "Partial Democracy" [Paperback]

As'Ad Ghanem (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1902210697 | ISBN-13: 978-1902210698 | Publication Date: September 2002

Foreword by Naseer Aruru; Introduction: Political Development and the Transition to Democracy; The Palestinian National Movement: A Historical Overview; The Palestinians Awaken to a Crushing Defeat; From Dispersion to Taking the Initiative; The PLO: From Maximalism to Compromise; The Oslo Accords and the Establishment of the Palestinian National Authority; Democracy and Centralism in the Palestinian National Movement, 1967-1993; Arafat's Control of PLO Institutions, 1968-1993; Pluralism, Civil Society, and the Construction of Institutions among the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, 1967-1993; The Formal Structure of Powers in the Palestinian National Authority; The Legislative Council; The Executive Authority; The Judicial Authority; The First Palestinian General Elections; The Legitimacy of the Elections; The Election System; The Election Campaign; The Election Results; The Centralisation of Power and Political Conduct in the PNA; Centralisation of Power Surveillance (Intimidation); Buying Quiet (Bribery); Conclusion: Contradictions within Palestinian Democracy; Palestinian 'Partial Democracy' Before the Establishment of the PNA; 'Partial Democracy' in the PNA; Conclusions for the Future.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a first rate case study of the problems of democratization and the requirements for its success. It should be a valuable contribution to any comparative study of these issues. Highly recommended at all levels. CHOICE, March 2002 Israeli manipulation of the various Oslo agreements to suit its own interests translates into authoritarian rule, parasitic politics and a crippling dependence for the Palestinian Authority (PA). Constitutional and legal issues are neglected and this in turn strangles democratic development. Regime insecurity has led the ruling elite to cling tenaciously to power and to treat any dissenting behavior as a form of treason. From the Foreword by Naseer Aruri,

About the Author

As'ad Ghanem is a Lecturer in the Department of Political Science, University of Haifa, and a Researcher at the Institute for Peace at the Jewish-Arab Center for Peace, Givat-Haviva.

Product Details

• Paperback: 252 pages
• Publisher: Sussex Academic Pr (September 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1902210697
• ISBN-13: 978-1902210698
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,949,005 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Chronicles the repugnant nature of Yasir Arafat's Palestinian Authority, October 28, 2005

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Jazz It Up Baby - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Palestinian Regime: A "Partial Democracy" (Hardcover)

David Schenker, from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, wrote: Ghanem's study chronicles the repugnant nature of Yasir Arafat's Palestinian Authority (PA). The author agrees with the widely-accepted view of the PA as a "partial democracy," where the political structure is authoritarian and civil society is democratic. To substantiate his argument, his competent if not path-breaking study covers a lot of old ground, including Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) history and the 1996 Palestinian elections. Along the way, he also relies on some ignored sources (such as the PA's Official Gazette) and offers some spicy anecdotes (like the revelation that PA security forces use "fortune tellers to identify criminals"). Regrettably, many of these details are buried in explanatory footnotes.

More interesting are the conclusions reached by this Israeli-Arab author. Ghanem blames the PA's authoritarianism in good part on Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who chose Arafat as his man to "impose order," while noting that Arafat arrived in Gaza in 1994 with "no basic commitment to construct a democratic regime." Given the nature of the PA, Ghanem concludes that things will improve only with "a change in leadership." Frustratingly, however, he does not address the implication of his own conclusion - that it's time for Palestinians to reconsider the 1974 Arab summit resolution that anointed the PLO their "sole legitimate representative."

The author cannot be entirely blamed for some of the more annoying aspects of his own book. Nasser Aruri's forward refers to the Israeli drafters of the Oslo agreements as "Talmudic professionals," an unfortunate and counterproductive exercise in stereotyping. And $69 is pricey for a volume containing only 153 pages of text, particularly when most of the 59 pages of appendices are easily available online for free.