The British Mandate and the crisis of Palestinian landlessness, 1929–1936

This article examines landlessness among Palestinians as a facet of colonial policy in Mandate Palestine before the 1936 revolt. The growth of what was sometimes called a ‘landless class’ came into official view after the violence of 1929. Subsequent investigations indicated that landlessness was a significant problem and that it threatened to destabilize the Mandate. The effort to ameliorate the crisis of landlessness, however, clashed with the dominant colonial conception of settler developmentalism, the notion that Jews, not Arabs, were the agents of modern economic development in Palestine. The first part of this examination revisits the contest over the 1930 White Paper, focusing on its relationship to the advent of mass landlessness. The rapid defeat of the new policy via the MacDonald letter left the landlessness problem to fester while simultaneously obscuring it. As the situation in the Arab countryside continued to deteriorate, the onset of the fifth aliya temporarily reinforced erroneous assumptions about the potential to rectify the problem through the yishuv's development. By the time mass landlessness was ‘rediscovered’ and new land controls designed to protect Arab smallholders were on their way to promulgation in 1935–1936, the Palestinian countryside was just months away from determined revolt.     

The Israeli–Egyptian talks at kilometer 101

This article deals with the Israeli–Egyptian talks after the October 1973 War, which are known as the Kilometer 101 talks since most of them took place at this spot on the Suez–Cairo road. After 17 years of indirect Israeli–Egyptian discussions, representatives from both sides met for direct talks that led to an agreement that allowed solving the exigent problems, like prisoners of war exchange and supplies for the encircled Egyptian Third Army. After about a month the talks ended, allegedly due to disagreement on disengagement and separation of forces.     

The Jerusalem chamber of commerce,industry, and agriculture, 1909–1910: an early attempt at inter-communal cooperation

The founding of the Jerusalem Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture in 1909 and its short term of activity represent a pioneering and unique attempt at inter-communal cooperation with the purpose of developing the local economy and improving the infrastructures that would support economic expansion and improve the conditions of the local population. The chamber of commerce brought together prominent Muslims, Christians and Jews, both local Ottoman and foreign, who engaged in commerce, industry and agriculture. This all was happening during a time of uncertainty, change and optimism following the Young Turk revolution and the restoration of the constitution in July 1908. The Jerusalem Chamber of Commerce fostered horizontal linkages across religion and ethnicity through Ottoman citizenship and the pursuit of modernist economic and social goals. The discussion details the founding and the activities of the Jerusalem chamber of commerce. Highlighted are the concerns of local businessmen and their plans for infrastructure development and their promotion of better economic regulations. The discussion draws upon eight issues of its bulletin and underscores the unique resources found in the short-lived publication and evaluates their reliability.     

On funding of Asian studies and comtemporary China studies,passed at CCAS retreat,Crystal Lake,Illinois, August 28–September 1, 1972

Abstract

Since 1969, CCAS has been investigating the influence of the Ford Foundation on the Asian Studies field. Our present findings (see the Summer/Fall 1971 issue of the CCAS Bulletin) show that Ford used its financial and political power to create and shape the field to serve the ends of policy and intelligence agencies. The means by which this centralized control is exerted is the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) and the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS). To date, the evidence for these conclusions has been overwhelming. The burden of disproof rests on the SSRC and ACLS, which have consistently denied reasonable requests for further research in their files.     

Changes in the Partisan Composition of the Swiss Government. 1891, 1919, 1929, 1943, 1959, 2003, …?

After almost half a century of an unchanged distribution of seats among political parties in the federal government (Federal Council), the Swiss executive has experienced a new change in 2003. This change follows up on other changes in the past which occurred at irregular intervals. The question we wish to address in this paper is how these changes related to the electoral fortunes of the political parties. We find that electoral success does not translate directly into seat gains in the executive. A lag of up to two elections provides the best predictor. Thus, the rapid concession of a second seat to the SVP in 2003 is an outlier compared to the previous changes in the partisan composition of the Swiss government.     

Electoral Integrity and Turnout in a Context of Violence at the Sub-National Level in Mexico, 2015–2018

In this article, we analyse the effect of electoral integrity on electoral participation in violent contexts. Using data from Local Electoral Authorities on electoral results, Electoral Integrity rates, and the Peace Index, we develop an exploratory analysis for sub-national elections in Mexico, in the 2015–2018 period. We conclude that, when elections are characterised by a high level of integrity, the negative impact of violence on turnout lessens, or almost disappears. By doing this, we contribute to the existing literature about the effects of violence on turnout at the sub-national level and to the studies on electoral integrity.     

Art,Cold War Diplomacy and Commonwealth: Australian and Canadian Art at the Tate Gallery 1962–1964

This article analyses the formation, presentation and reception of two seminal exhibitions: Australian Painting: Colonial, Impressionist, Contemporary (1962–1963) and Canadian Painting 1939–1963 (1964). The presentation of these exhibitions at London’s Tate Gallery reflected the institution’s support for “old dominion” Commonwealth members. The exhibitions also highlight the differing visions of the Canadian and Australian governments concerning the relationship between art, diplomacy and politics during the Cold War. In Canada, Vincent Massey (Governor General 1952–1959) played a key role in ensuring that all forms of Canadian art were promoted internationally. Massey wanted to connect with the European and American avant-garde and to be part of a multiracial Commonwealth. This contrasted with the rather “old-fashioned” views of the Australian prime minister, Robert Menzies, and the Commonwealth Art Advisory Board. They supported a Commonwealth dominated by the “white dominions” and the initial exhibition plan for Australian Painting recalled previous British Empire art shows. The British response to the Canadian and Australian exhibitions is also discussed. British critics preferred the nationally identifiable “exotic” art found in Australian art to the transnational forms of international abstraction in Canadian art. Eventually, Australia “caught up” with Canadian cultural policy following the establishment of the Australia Council.     

‘Strong,United and Independent’: the British Foreign Office,Anglo–Iranian Oil Company and the internationalization of Iranian politics at the dawn of the Cold War, 1945–46

This article challenges traditional accounts of the 1946 Cold War Crisis in Iran by moving beyond Soviet–American confrontation to focus on British policy. In contrast to the United States, Britain was a major stake-holding power in Iran due to the valuable holdings of the Anglo–Iranian Oil Company (AIOC). By comparing the reactions of the AIOC and Foreign Office, continuity between the events of the 1946 Crisis and later developments in the Mosaddegh premiership becomes apparent. Soviet interference in Azerbaijan prompted great concern from representatives in Iran, but the central Foreign Office pursued a more cautious policy. Only concerns relating to the growth of domestic Iranian communism in the form of the Tudeh Party and the threat this entailed to the British concession prompted the Foreign Office and AIOC to take measures rendering them partially complicit in the internationalization of Iranian politics, setting an important precedent for future action. This article evaluates the policy-making process and its impact on Anglo–Iranian relations by utilizing records from the UK National Archives, British Petroleum Archive and diplomatic personal papers.     

Peking politics, 1918–1923

Abstract

Sometimes scholars fall into the gaps of their own arguments. A. J. Nathan, last seen asserting that European influence on China was benign, must now explain the failure of Western educated elites and their political techniques to achieve any semblance of order or development. Peking Politics, 1918–1923 attempts to plug the gap through examination of Western-influenced urban elites in the last period of Chinese history in which Western constitutional theory played any significant role. His historical outline achieves considerable success in elucidating the comings and goings of bureaucrats, bosses, and generals on the Peking stage, but is prey to serious methodological and ideological limitations. Where his data fits his hypothesis, it's usually for the wrong reasons, and all too often it doesn't fit at all.     

China's Christian universities,winter, 1948–49

Central Asia Peoples of Central Asia. By Lawrence Krader. Vol. 26 of the Uralic and Altaic Series. American Council of Learned Societies. Indiana University and Mouton and Co., The Hague, 1963. Pp. 319. Maps. Index. $4. Dutch Guilders, 14. 50.

Russia in Central Asia. By Michael Rywkin. Russian Civilization Series. New York, Collier Books; London, Collier‐Macmillan Ltd., 1964. Pp. 191. Maps. Index. 7s. 6d.

South Asia The Poems of Khushhal Khan Khatak. With English Verse Translations by Evelyn Howell and Olaf Caroe. London, Oxford University Press for the Pashto Academy, University of Peshawar, 1963. Pp. 98. 15s.

Charsada. A Metropolis of the North‐West Frontier. By Sir Mortimer Wheeler. London. Oxford University for the Government of Pakistan and the British Academy, 1962. Pp. 130. XLV Plates. Index. 63s.

The China‐India Border. The Origins of the Disputed Boundaries. Chatham House Essays: 2. London, Oxford University Press for the Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1964. Pp. 192. Maps. Bibliog. 12s. 6d.

Peking versus Delhi. By George N. Patterson. London, Faber, 1963. Pp. 310. Maps. Bibliog. Index. 35s.

The Last Years of British India. By Michael Edwardes. London, Cassell, 1963. Pp. 250. Maps. Index. 25s.

Portrait of India. By Bradford Smith. London, Robert Hale, 1963. Pp. 189. Illus. Sketch map. Index and Glossary. 18s.

Tilak and Gokhale. Revolution and Reform in the Making of Modern India. By Stanley A. Wolpert. University of California Press, 1962; London, Cambridge University Press, 1963. Pp. xv + 370. Notes. Bibliog. Index. $7.50. 60s.

Battles of the Indian Mutiny. By Michael Edwardes. London, Batsford, 1963. Pp. 216. Illus. Maps. Index. 25s.

The Builders of the Mogul Empire. By Michael Prawdin. London, Allen and Unwin, 1963. Pp. 198. Maps. Illus. Bibliog. Index. 32s.

South‐West Asia The Yemen. Imams, Rulers and Revolutions. By Harold Ingrams. London, John Murray, 1963. Pp. xi +164. Sketch map. Illus. Index. 21s.

Egypt in Revolution: An Economic Analysis. By Charles Issawi. London, Oxford University Press for the Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1963. Pp. 357. Appendices. Tables. Index. 45s.

The Arabs and the World: Nasser's Arab Nationalist Policy. New York, Published for the Council on Foreign Relations by Frederick A. Praeger; London, Pall Mall Press, 1963. Pp. 338. Map. Bibliog. Index. $6.50. 42s.

Arab Rediscovery of Europe. A Study in Cultural Encounters. By Ibrahim Abu‐Lughod. Oriental Studies Series, No. 22. Princeton University Press: London, Oxford University Press, 1963. Pp. 188. Bibliog. Index. 38s.

The Arabs. By Arnold Hottinger. London, Thames and Hudson, 1963. Pp. 344. Maps. Illus. Index. 42s.

Palestine: Loss of a Heritage. By Sami Hadawi. Texas, The Naylor Co., 1963. Pp. 148. Map endpapers. Appendices. $4.95.

The Heritage of Persia. By Richard N. Frye. London, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1962. Pp. xvii + 317. Illus. Maps. Appendices. Bibliog. Index. 50s.

South‐East Asia The Two Viet‐Nams—A Political and Military Analysis. By Bernard B. Fall. Praeger, New York and London, 1963. Pp. xii+493. Maps. Charts. Bibliog. Index. 50s.

From Colonialism to Communism: A Case History of North Vietnam. By Hoang Van Chi; introduction by P. J. Honey. London: Pall Mall Press, 1964. Pp. 252. Maps. Index.” 40s.

Primer for Revolt: The Communist Takeover in Viet‐nam. By Truong Chinh. Introduction by B. B. Fall. New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1963. Pp. 211. $5. 35s.

Street Without Joy. Insurgency in Indo‐China, 1946–63. By Bernard B. Fall. London, Pall Mall Press, 1963. Pp. 379. Illus. Sketch maps. Index. 35s.

The New States of Asia. By Michael Brecher. London: Oxford University Press, 1963. Pp. xiv+215. Index. 30s.

The Republic of Korea. A Political and Economic Study. By W. D. Reeve. London, Oxford University Press for the Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1963. Pp. 197. Bibliog. Index. 30s.

The March on Delhi. By A. J. Barker. London, Faber, 1963. Pp. 302. Illus. Sketch maps. Bibliog. Index. 42s.

Far East Chinese Communist Literature. Edited by Cyril Birch. Praeger, London and New York, 1963. Pp. 254. 40s.

China Only Yesterday, 1850–1950. By Emily Hahn. London, Weidenfeld and Nicolson. Pp. 335. Map. Index. 36s.

A Dream of Tartary. The Origins and Misfortunes of Henry P'u Yi. London, Allen and Unwin, 1963. Pp. 292. Illus. Map endpapers. Index. 30s.

Biography Layard of Nineveh. By Gordon Waterfield. London, John Murray, 1963. Pp. x+533. Map. Illus. Index. 55s.

Travel The Journey's Echo. Selections from Freya Stark. Foreword by Lawrence Durrell. London, John Murray, 1963. Pp. 224. Illus. 21s.