Book Reviews

Books reviewed: Bernard Lewis, What Went Wrong? Nils A. Butenschon, Uri Davis and Manuel Hassassian, (eds.) Citizenship and the State in the Middle East: Approaches and Applications Benjamin W. Wolkinson, Arab Employment In Israel: The Quest for Equal Employment Opportunity James A. Bill and John Alden Williams, Roman Catholics and Shii Muslims: Prayer, Passion, and Politics     

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article: Stories of Democracy: Politics and Society in Contemporary Kuwait , by Mary Ann Tétreault All in the Family: Absolutism, Revolution, and Democracy in the Middle Eastern Monarchies , by Michael Herb. Saddam's Secrets: The Hunt for Iraq's Hidden Weapons , by Tim Trevan. Endgame: Solving the Iraq Problem‐Once and for All , by Scott Ritter. The Arab Shia: The Forgotten Muslims , by Graham E. A Very Political Economy: Peacebuilding and Foreign Aid in the West Bank and Gaza , by Rex Brynen. Water Politics in the Middle East: A Context for Conflict or Cooperation? , by Mostafa Dolatrar and Tim S. Gray. Water in the Middle East: A Geography of Peace , eds. Hussein A. Amery and Aaron T. Wolfe. Water Conflict: Economics, Politics, Law and the Palestinian‐Israeli Water Resources , by Sharif S. Elmusa. New Encyclopedia of Zionism and Israel , ed. Geoffrey Wigoder. The Oxford History of Islam , ed. John Esposito Islam and Central Asia: An Enduring Legacy or an Evolving Threat ? eds. Roald Sagdeev and Susan Eisenhower.     

'The environment in international relations'

Books reviewed in this article:
Desai, U. (ed.), Ecological Policy and Politics in Developing Countries:Economic Growth, Democracy, and Environment
Elliott, L. M., The Global Politics of the Environment
Hayward, T., Political Theory and Ecological Values
Homer-Dixon, T. F., Environment, Scarcity, and Violence
Jameson, F. and Miyoshi, M. (eds), The Cultures of Globalization
Kuetting, G., Environment, Society and International Relations:Towards More Effective International Environmental Agreements
Litfin, K. T. (ed.), The Greening of Sovereignty in World Politics
Maguire, D. C. and Rasmussen, L. L., Ethics for a Small Planet:New Horizons on Population, Consumption, and Ecology
McGinnis, M. V. (ed.), Bioregionalism
Renner, M., Fighting for Survival: Environmental Decline, SocialConflict and the New Age of Insecurity
Schaeffer, R. K. (ed.), Understanding Globalization: The SocialConsequences of Political, Economic, and Environmental Change
Weiss, E. B. and Jacobson, H. K. (eds), Engaging Countries:Strengthening Compliance with International Environmental Accords
Young, O. R. (ed.), Global Governance: Drawing Insights from theEnvironmental Experience     

Book Reviews

Books reviewed in this article: Jorge I. Domínguez and Michael Shifter (eds.), Constructing Democratic Governance in Latin America Samuel L. Baily and Eduardo José Míguez (eds.), Mass Migration to Modern Latin America Mala Htun, Sex and the State: Abortion, Divorce and the Family Under Latin American Dictatorships and Democracies Nikki Craske and Maxine Molyneux (eds.), Gender and the Politics of Rights and Democracy in Latin America William I. Robinson, Transnational Conflicts: Central America, Social Change and Globalization Martín Hopenhayn, No Apocalypse, No Integration. Modernism and Post Modernism in Latin America Rei Kimura, President Fujimori of Peru: The President Who Dared to Dream David Cahill, From Rebellion to Independence in the Andes: Soundings from Southern Peru, 1750‐1830 Gregory Weeks, The Military and Politics in Postauthoritarian Chile Alberto Spektorowski, The Origins of Argentina's Revolution of the Right Raanan Rein, Argentina, Israel and the Jews. Perón, the Eichmann capture and after Anne Fountain, José Martí and U.S. Writers Salvador A. Oropesa, The Contemporáneos Group: Rewriting Mexico in the Thirties and Forties Floyd Merrell, The Mexicans: A Sense of Culture Matthew C. Gutmann, The Romance of Democracy: Compliant Defiance in Contemporary Mexico Martha Menchaca, Recovering History, Constructing Race: the Indian, Black and White Roots of Mexican Americans Jeremy A. Sabloff (ed.), Tikal: Dynasties, Foreigners, & Affairs of State: Advancing Maya Archaeology Jan M. G. Kleinpenning, Paraguay 1515‐1870; a Thematic Geography of its Development Alicia Gaspar de Alba (ed.), Velvet Barrios: Popular Culture & Chicana/o Subjectivities Sue Branford and Bernardo Kucinski, Politics Transformed: Lula and the Workers' Party Javier Auyero, Contentious Lives. Two Argentine Women, Two Protests and the Quest for Recognition Steven Levitsky, Transforming Labor‐Based Parties in Latin America. Argentine Peronism in Comparative Perspective     

Writings on the margins: Welsh politics

Books reviewed in this article:
Andrews, L., Wales Says Yes
Davies, R., Devolution: A Process not an Event
Osmond, J., New Politics in Wales
Osmond, J. (ed.), The National Assembly Agenda
Taylor, B. and Thomson, K., Scotland and Wales: Nations Again?
Day, G. and Thomas, D. (eds), Contemporary Wales: An Annual Review of Economic and Social Research     

Book Reviews

Books reviewed in this article:
Roy Hora, The Landowners of the Argentine Pampas: A Social and Political History
Josefina Ludmer, The Gaucho Genre. A Treatise on the Motherland
Institute for the Integration of Latin America and the Caribbean, Integration and Trade. Number 15, Volume 5
Ton Salman and Annelies Zoomers (eds.), The Andean Exodus: Transnational Migration from Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru
Carlos Iván Degregori (ed.), No hay país más diverso: Compendio de antropología peruana
Daniel C. Levy and Kathleen Bruhn, with Emilio Zebadúa, Mexico: The Struggle for Democratic Development
Martha K. Huggins, Mika Haritos-Fatouros, and Philip G. Zimbardo, Violence Workers: Police Torturers and Murderers Reconstruct Brazilian Atrocities
Sandra Pouchet Paquet, Caribbean Autobiography: cultural identity and self-representation     

Book Reviews

Books reviewed in this article: Christopher Cunneen, William John McKell: Boilermaker, Premier, Governor‐General Roger Holdich, Vivianne Johnson and Pamela Andre (eds.), Documents on Australian Foreign Policy: The ANZUS Treaty 1951 Michael Keating, John Wanna and Patrick Weller (eds.), Institutions on the Edge? Capacity for Governance Tess Livingstone, George Pell Micheál Ó Siochrú (ed.), Kingdoms in Crisis: Ireland in the 1640s Terence Zuber, Inventing the Schlieffen Plan. German War Planning 1871–1914 David H. Close, Greece since 1945: Politics, Economy and Society Robert O'Brien, Anne Marie Goetz, Jan Aart Scholte and Marc Williams, Contesting Global Governance: Multilateral Economic Institutions and Global Social Movements Mary Kaldor (ed.), Global Insecurity: Restructuring the Global Military Sector, Volume III David Miller and Sohail H. Hashmi (eds.), Boundaries and Justice: Diverse Ethical Perspectives Bernard Crick, Crossing Borders: Political Essays     

BOOK REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article: Peace Process: American Diplomacy and the Arab-Israeli Conflict Since 1967 , by William B. Quandt. Securing Peace in the Middle East: Project on Economic Transition , by the Institute for Social and Economic Policy in the Middle East of the John F. The Passionate Attachment: America's Involvement with Israel, 1947 to the Present , by George W. Ball and Douglas B. Ball. Quagmire: America in the Middle East , by Leon T. Hadar. Sleeping on A Wire: Conversations with Palestinians in Israel , by David Grossman. Translated from the Hebrew by Haim Watzman. Breaking the Ice: Rapprochement Between East and West Germany, the United States and China and Israel and Egypt , by Tony Armstrong. Syria and the United States: Eisenhower's Cold War in the Middle East , by David W. Lesch. The Death Lobby: How the West Armed Iraq , by Kenneth R. Timmerman. After the Storm: The Changing Military Balance in the Middle East , by Anthony H. Cordesman. Weapons of Mass Destruction in the Middle East , by Anthony H. Cordesman. Postmodernism, Reason and Religion by Ernest Gellner.     

Book Reviews

Books reviewed in this article:
Charles Bergquist, Ricardo Peñaranda, and G. Gonzalo Sánchez (eds.), Violence in Colombia 1990––2000. Waging War and Negotiating Peace
H. Kline, State Building and Conflict Resolution in Colombia, 1986–1994
N. Richani, Systems of Violence. The Political Economy of War and Peace in Colombia
Maxwell A. Cameron, and Brian W. Tomlin, The Making of NAFTA: How the Deal Was Done
Ben Fallaw, Cárdenas Compromised: The Failure of Reform in Postrevolutionary Yucatán
Aníbal González, Killer Books: Writing, Violence, and Ethics in Modern Spanish American Narrative
Valerie Boyle (ed.), A South American Adventure: Letters from George Reid, 1867–1870
Caroline Salvin, A Pocket Eden. Guatemalan Journals 1873–1874/Un paraíso. Diarios guatemaltecos 1873–1874     

'International Political Theory – A British Social Science?'

Books reviewed in this article:
Dunne, T., Inventing International Society
Schmidt, B. C., The Political Discourse of Anarchy: A Disciplinary History of International Relations
Boucher, D., Political Theories of International Relations
Gourevitch, P., We Wish to Inform you that Tomorrow we will be Killed with our Families: Stories from Rwanda
Weiss, T. G., Military–Civilian Interactions: Intervening in Humanitarian Crises
Moore, J. (ed.), Hard Choices: Moral Dilemmas in Humanitarian Intervention
Geras, N., The Contract of Mutual Indifference: Political Philosophy after the Holocaust
Linklater, A., The Transformation of Political Community
Archibugi, D., Held, D. and Köhler, M. (eds), Re-imagining Political Community: Studies in Cosmopolitan Democracy     

Israel,the Arab Spring,and the unfolding regional order in the Middle East: a strategic assessment

Since 2011, geo-strategic interactions have exerted pressure on various political communities. In particular, uncertainty over the foreign policy intentions of new leadership elites and the nature of the unfolding regional security system in the Middle East have impacted the strategic questions Israel must answer: how can Israel rationally assess the new environment? What foreign policy approach would best serve Israel’s distinct national interests? Using insights from the levels-of-analysis framework and from the realist theory of International Relations, this article aims to explore Israel’s reading of recent regional developments and its attitudes and behaviours towards the attendant and emerging strategic challenges. The analysis reveals that the Arab Spring uprisings exacerbated the already anarchic Middle East environment, aggravating mistrust and antagonism in Israel. The urgency of the attraction of protectionism and militarism in Israel was an expression of the realist approach to Israel’s primary strategic consolidation. With time, the regional dynamic has evolved into a more predictable—but still complex—structure than it was during its early phase (2010–2013). Although there have been signs of potential regional political eruptions, other developments have promoted continuity in the Middle East, which plays to Israel’s strategic advantage.     

The new ethics of modern public service

Books reviewed:
Chapman, R. (ed.), Ethics in Public Service
Lawton, A., Ethical Management for the Public Services
Gowthorpe, C. and Blake, J. (eds), Ethical Issues in Accounting     

Book Reviews

Books reviewed in this issue. How We Missed the Story: Osama bin Laden, the Taliban, and the Hijacking of Afghanistan , by Roy Gutman. The Strongest Tribe: War, Politics, and the Endgame in Iraq , by Bing West. Nights in the Pink Motel: An American Strategist's Pursuit of Peace in Iraq , by Robert Earle. The Persian Gulf in History , by Lawrence G. Potter, ed. One State, Two States: Resolving the Israel/Palestine Conflict , by Benny Morris. Russia and the Arabs: Behind the Scenes in the Middle East from the Cold War to the Present , by Yevgeny Primakov (translated by Paul Gould).     

Reviews

Books reviewed in this issue.
The Transparent Cabal: The Neoconservative Agenda, War in the Middle East, and the National Interest of Israel , by Stephen J. Sniegoski.
The Hebrew Republic: How Secular Democracy and Global Enterprise Will Bring Israel Peace at Last , by Bernard Avishai.
The Devil We Know: Dealing with the New Iranian Superpower , by Robert Baer.
The Ayatollah Begs to Differ: The Paradox of Modern Iran , by Hooman Majd.
Culture and Conflict in the Middle East , by Philip Carl Salzman.
Syria: Chess Match at the Borders , A Film by Amal Hamelin des Essarts.
Commander of the Faithful: The Life and Times of Emir Abd el-Kader, A Story of True Jihad , by John W. Kiser.     

BOOK REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article: The “Center of the Universe”: The Geopolitics of Iran , by Graham E. Fuller. American Presidents and the Middle East , by George Lemczowski. Cauldron: America in the Middle East , by Barry Rubin. Twin Pillars in Desert Storm: America's Flawed Vision in the Middle East from Nixon to Bush , by Howard Teicher and Gayle Radley Teicher. Original Sins: Reflections on the History of Zionism and Israel , by Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi. The New Palestinians: be Emerging Generation of Leaders , by John Wallach and Janet Wallach. Privatization and Liberalization in the Middle East , edited by Iliya Harik and Denis J. Sullivan. Imaghing the Middle East , by Thierry Hentsch.     

Review Essay

Book reviewed in this article:
Khomeinism: Essays on the Islamic Republic, by Ervand Abrahamian.
From Rags to Riches: A Story of Abu Dhabi, by Mohammed Al-Fahim.
Oman and the World: The Emergence of an Independent Foreign Policy, by Joseph A. Kechichain.
The Life and Times of Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa: Ruler of Bahrain 1942-61, by Andrew Wheatcroft.
Fallen Pillars: U.S. Policy towards Palestine and Israel since 1945, by Donald Neff.
Broken Covenant, by Moshe Arens.
Homeland: Oral Histories of Palestine and Palestinians, edited by Staughton Lynd, Sam Bahour and Alice Lynd.
Intimate Enemies: Jews and Arabs in a Shared Land, by Meron Benvenisti.
The Obstruction of Peace: The U.S., Israel and the Palestinians, by Naseer Aruri.
WATER AND POWER. The Politics of a Scarce Resource in the Jordan River Basin, by Miriam R. Lowi.
Rivers of Eden: The Struggle for Water and the Quest for Peace in the Middle East, by Daniel Hillel.
Arms Control and Security in the Middle East: The Search for Common Ground, edited by Richard Eisendorf.
The Superpowers and the Middle East: Regional and International Politics 1955-1967, by Fawaz A. Gerges.     

BOOK REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article:
The Politics of Dispossession: The Struggle for Palestinian Self-Determination, 1969–1993 , by Edward W. Said.
Jewish History, Jewish Religion: The Weight of Three Thousand Years , by Israel Shahak. Foreward by Gore Vidal.
All That Remains: the Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated by Israel in 1948, Walid Khalidi, ed.
The Palestine Liberation Organization: From Armed Struggle to the Declaration of Independence , by Jamal R. Nassar.
Building Peace in the Middle East, Challenges for States and Civil Society, edited by Elise Boulding.
Crisis in the Arabian Gulf: An Independent Iraqi View , by Omar Ali.
America and the Iraqi Crisis, 1990–1992: Origins and Aflermath , by Lester H. Brune.
Iraqi Statesman: A Portrait of Mohammed Fadhel Jamali , by Harry J. Almond.
Broadcasting in the Arab World: A Survey of the Electronic Media in the Middle East , by Douglas Boyd.     

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this issue. A Path Out of the Desert: A Grand Strategy for America in the Middle East , by Kenneth M. Pollack. Beyond Regionalism? Regional Cooperation, Regionalism and Regionalization in the Middle East , Cilja Harders and Matteo Legrenzi, eds. The Politics of Chaos in the Middle East , by Olivier Roy. Global Rebellion: Religious Challenges to the Secular State, from Christian Militias to al Qaeda , by Mark Juergensmeyer. The New Turkish Republic: Turkey as a Pivotal State in the Muslim World , by Graham E. Fuller. The Kurds Ascending: The Evolving Solution to the Kurdish Problem in Iraq and Turkey , by Michael M. Gunter. Torture Team: Rumsfeld's Memo and the Betrayal of American Values , by Philippe Sands. The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals , by Jane Mayer.     

A Dangerous Axis: The ‘Bulgarian Müftü’, the Turkish Opposition and the Ankara Government, 1928–36

In June 1967, when the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact partners decided to break off diplomatic relations with Israel following the outbreak of the Six Day War, it came as a surprise to many that Romania refused to do the same. This paper investigates previously unpublished documents in order to retrace the decision-making process in Bucharest and offer a rational answer to the question: why did Romania choose to ignore Moscow's decision? Was it a demonstration of support for Israel as it appeared at the time and, if so, what were the reasons behind it? Archival insight demonstrates that Romania's decision to maintain diplomatic relations with Israel can best be understood in the general framework of its relations with Moscow. Striving to gain autonomy in the Communist bloc and fight off Soviet domination, Romanian decision-makers preferred to engage in their own analysis of the events in the Middle East before assuming one decision or another. Their conclusions led them to believe that Moscow's policy had been adventurous and to break relations with Israel would have implied confirmation and reinforcement of Moscow's role in the Middle East.     

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article: Sandstorm: Policy Failure in the Middle East , by Leon Hadar Squandered Victory: The American Occupation and the Bungled Effort to Bring Democracy to Iraq , by Larry Diamond Devil's Game: How the United States Helped Unleash Fundamentalist Islam , by Robert Dreyfuss The Road Ahead: Middle East Policy in the Bush Administration's Second Term , edited by Flynt Leverett My Year in Iraq: The Struggle to Build a Future of Hope , by L. Paul Bremer III with Malcolm McConnell The Great Syrian Revolt and the Rise of Arab Nationalism , by Michael Provence Wahhabi Islam: From Revival and Reform to Global Jihad , by Natana J. Delong‐Bas Reframing Anti‐Semitism: Alternative Jewish Perspectives , Jewish Voice for Peace, eds. Parting Ways: The Crisis in German‐American Relations , by Stephen F. Szabo