The Transformation of Palestinian Politics: From Revolution to State-Building by Barry Rubin

From the Publisher

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.

Middle East Quarterly - Daniel Pipes

Excellent...There is nothing remotely comparable to this book in English...The study significantly advances knowledge about its subject matter.

Globe and Mail [Toronto] - Peter McKenna

Rubin is well qualified to chronicle the path of transition or pre-statehood, with its unpredictable twists and turns.

Washington Times - Sol Schindler

[A]n objective, even sympathetic, account of Palestinian politics since 1993.

Boston Book Review - Kate Cambor

Rubin offers a prognosis...with the measured optimism of someone who has watched the conflict unfold from up-close...

Canadian Jewish News - Sheldon Kirshner

The Transformation of Palestinian Politics is a cogent analysis of the challenges facing the Palestinian Authority today.

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.--Nader Entessar, Spring Hill Coll., Mobile, AL Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

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Table of Contents