Professionals against populism : the Peres government and democracy / Michael Keren.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Keren, Michael, 1944-

Series:

SUNY series in Israeli studies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Peres, Shimon, 1923-2016.

Peres, Shimon.

Populism--Israel.

Populism.

Democracy--Israel.

Democracy.

Technology and state--Israel.

Technology and state.

Israel--Politics and government--1967-1993.

Israel.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (vii, 147 pages) : illustrations.

Place of Publication:

Albany : State University of New York Press, c1995.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This book, based on Shimon Peres's private papers, tells the unusual story of the Peres government of 1984-1986 in Israel. It is the story of an unpopular politician, demonized by his political enemies, who operates under great time restraints to manage a pluralistic democracy losing ground to enchanted masses in public squares. Lacking support from his own national unity government, Peres reverted to his old-time alliance with Israel's technocrats in his combat against populism. Michael Keren analyzes the role of legal professionals, strategic experts, and economists in the three main events of the Peres era: the scandal over the killing of two Arab terrorists by the General Security Service; the efforts to renew the peace process in the Middle East after the Lebanon war; and the economic stabilization program of 1985. The analysis illumines Israel's hitherto unexplored technocratic stratum and its ongoing struggle over Israel's nature as an advanced industrial state. This stratum, the author contends, has,been the moving force behind the construction of the nuclear reactor in Dimona in the 1960s, the combat against populism in the 1980s, and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process of today.

Contents:

Frontmatter

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION

Chapter 2 KNOWLEDGE AND DEMOCRACY

Chapter 3 LAW AND SECURITY

Chapter 4 IN QUEST OF MODERATION

Chapter 5 THE SOCIAL CONTRACT

Chapter 6 CONCLUSION

Appendices

NOTES

BIBLIOGRAPHY

INDEX

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. 133-141) and index.

ISBN:

9781438408781

1438408781

9780585045979

0585045976

OCLC:

42854969