In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Governing in a Turbulent National Policy Environment Giora Goldberg and Efraim Ben-Zadok Yehezkel Dror, A Grand Strategy for Israel Jerusalem: Academon, 1989. (Hebrew.) Yehezkel Dror, Memorandum for the Israeli Prime Minister: II. To Build a State, Jerusalem: Academon, 1989. (Hebrew.) lezkel Dror, one of Israel's leading social scientists, • internationally known for his pioneering studies in public policy analysis. Dror has recently completed a monumental work of five volumes in Hebrew where he provides a long-range analysis of Israel's fundamental policy and security issues followed by recommendations for breakthroughs in national policy making. The first volume, A Grand Strategy for Israel is reviewed here. This introductory volume presents a general overview and guidelines to the other four volumes. It includes a brief and practical discussion of the most urgent policy and security issues faced by the State. Each of the other four volumes is written as a memorandum for the Israeli prime minister. The second memorandum, To Build a State, which is reviewed here, analyzes the functioning of the Israeli political-administrative system and its curI 161 Governing in a Turbulent National Policy Environment Giora Goldberg and E[raim Ben-Zadok Yehezkel Dror, A Grand Strategy [or Israel, Jerusalem: Academon, 1989. (Hebrew.) Yehezkel Dror, Memorandum [or the Israeli Prime Minister: II. To Build a State, Jerusalem: Academon, 1989. (Hebrew.) ~heZkelDror, one of l:rael'S leading social scientists, '-l{ ~~ internationally known for his pioneering studies in public policy analysis. Dror has recently completed a monumental work of five volumes in Hebrew where he provides a long-range analysis of Israel's fundamental policy and security issues followed by recommendations for breakthroughs in national policy making. The first volume, A Grand Strategy [or Israel, is reviewed here. This introductory volume presents a general overview and guidelines to the other four volumes. It includes a brief and practical discussion of the most urgent policy and security issues faced by the State. Each of the other four volumes is written as a memorandum for the Israeli prime minister. The second memorandum, To Build a State, which is reviewed here, analyzes the functioning of the Israeli political-administrative system and its cur161 Giora Goldberg and Efraim Ben-Zadok 162 rent problems of governance. It also offers recommendations for improving the system. The other three memoranda for the Israeli prime minister were not yet published at the time of writing. The first one, The State of the Nation, assesses Israel and its policy environment in the context of historical processes. Another memorandum, The Logic of Zionism, examines the principles of Zionist ideology in light of present and future political conditions. It also develops an updated systematic approach for Zionism to effectively guide Israeli policy making. The final memorandum, A Grand Policy for Israel, offers recommendations for breakthroughs in policy making. Our review of the two 1989 volumes, A Grand Strategy for Israel and To Build a State, begins with a brief discussion about the three legitimacy principles on which Israel's political culture is based. The conflicts among these principles provide one common explanation for the turbulence of the Israeli policy environment. We will use the principles and their conflicts as a theoretical framework throughout the review . To a certain extent, Dror acknowledges the difficulties created by the conflicts among these principles. He does not explain, however, the turbulence in the policy environment through the three principles and the constraints that their conflicts impose on the policy environment. According to Dror, the problem is not such objective constraints of the policy environment, but basic deficiencies in Israel's leadership, politics , government, and administration. With respect to the first legitimacy principle, Israel is a Jewish nation-state. This principle mixes the two elements of a particularistic Jewish ethnic-national identity and Jewish religion to the extent that it is very difficult to distinguish between the two. The second legitimacy principle maintains that Israel is a secular liberal democracy. This principle promotes the universal political and social values which are prevalent in other western democracies. The third legitimacy principle presents Israel as a "security state." Its survival is constantly threatened and endangered and, therefore, national security and defense affect every aspect of life in the country. 162 Giora Goldberg and Efraim Ben-Zadok rent problenls of governance. It also offers recommlendations for improving the system. The othLer three memoranda for the Israeli prime minister were not yet published at the time of writing.. The first one, The State of the Nation, assesses Israel and...

Share