The Transformation of Palestinian Politics: From Revolution to State-Building [Hardcover]

Barry Rubin (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0674000714 | ISBN-13: 978-0674000711 | Publication Date: November 22, 1999

This book is a comprehensive overview and analysis of the Palestinians' travail as they move from revolutionary movement to state. Barry Rubin outlines the difficulties in the transition now under way arising from Palestinian history, society, and diplomatic agreements. He writes about the search for a national identity, the choice of an economic system, and the structure of government. Rubin finds the political system interestingly distinctive-it appears to be a pluralist dictatorship. There are free elections, multiple parties, and some latitude in civil liberties. Yet there is a relatively unrestrained chief executive and arbitrariness in applying the law because of restraints on freedom. The new ruling elite is a complex mixture of veteran revolutionaries, heirs to large and wealthy families, professional soldiers, technocrats, and Islamic clerics. Beyond explaining how the executive and legislative branches work, Rubin factors in the role of public opinion in the peace process, the place of nongovernmental institutions, opposition movements, and the Palestinian Authority's foreign relations-including Palestinian views and interactions with the Arab world, Israel, and the United States. This book is drawn from documents in Arabic, Hebrew, and English, as well as interviews and direct observations. Rubin finds that, overall, the positive aspects of the Palestinian Authority outweigh the negative, and he foresees the establishment of a Palestinian state. His charting of the triumphs and difficulties of this state-in-the-making helps predict and explain future dramatic developments in the Middle East.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In this highly readable book, Rubin, deputy director of Israel's Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies and the author of numerous works on the Arab-Israeli conflict, examines the prospect of Palestinian statehood. The book focuses on post-1993 Palestinian politics and the internal and external challenges that have faced the Palestinian Authority in the aftermath of the Oslo agreement. Drawing on an impressive array of English, Hebrew, and Arabic sources, the author explores a complicated maze of interactions between Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority and its internal opponents. Crucially, the book also places the Palestinian Authority's struggle in the context of Israeli and regional politics. Because of the heavy focus on current events, readers not familiar with the history of the conflict will need other sources to place post-1993 Palestinian politics into context. Recommended for academic libraries and students of the Arab-Israeli conflict.ANader Entessar, Spring Hill Coll., Mobile, AL
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Excellent. Rubin has taken up a subject that is seemingly familiar (Palestinians feature almost daily in the news) but is in fact unknown (how the Palestinian Authority actually operates). There is nothing remotely comparable to this book in English. He writes about obscure but vital aspects of the Palestinian Authority with a sure hand. The greatest strength of the book lies in its providing new information in a clear context. Rubin's sources are excellent, his judgment reliable. The writing style is solid. The study significantly advances knowledge its subject matter. -- Daniel Pipes, Middle East Quarterly

Rubin is the first to take a detailed and systematic look at the issues-not surprising given that the subject did not exist before 1994--and therein lies the main contribution of the book. He provides an interesting overview of what will undoubtedly be a subject of continuing investigation over the years. The book should be of considerable interest to students of Middle Eastern, and especially Palestinian and Israeli-Palestinian politics. Rubin presents a balanced (even sympathetic) account of the challenges facing the Palestinian Authority, shows how relatively stable post-revolutionary institutions have already been built, and concludes with a sanguine view of the prospects for successful state-building in the future. The book is argued in a fairly persuasive fashion, the organization is logical, the scholarship is sound (no polemics or distortion of evidence), and the conclusions are judicious. -- Mark A. Heller, Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, Tel Aviv University

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Harvard University Press (November 22, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0674000714
• ISBN-13: 978-0674000711
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,851,292 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book!, September 13, 2001

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"yangog" (Baldwin, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Transformation of Palestinian Politics: From Revolution to State-Building (Hardcover)

C. Rubin in this book shows the complete developmental process of the Palestinian Authority from a revolutionary movement to the executive branch of the government of a building state.Touches upon crucial points such as the Palestinial Legislative Council,the early institutions of the territory,the PA's relations with it's citizens and especially with the fundamendalist groups etc. I think it's a great book that anyone who wishes to study about Palestine and it's late political developments should read.Of course it requires a background in the area but it is very easily read at the same time.