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State of Failure: Yasser Arafat, Mahmoud Abbas, and the Unmaking of the Palestinian State
The biggest obstacle to Palestinian statehood may not be Israel In September 2011, president Mahmoud Abbas stood before the United Nations General Assembly and dramatically announced his intention to achieve recognition of Palestinian statehood. The United States roundly opposed the move then, but two years later, Washington revived dreams for Palestinian statehood through bilateral diplomacy with Israel. But are the Palestinians prepared for the next step? In State of Failure , Middle East expert Jonathan Schanzer argues that the reasons behind Palestine's inertia are far more complex than we realize. Despite broad international support, Palestinian independence is stalling because of internal mismanagement, not necessarily because of Israeli intransigence. Drawing on exclusive sources, the author shows how the PLO under Yasser Arafat was ill prepared for the task of statebuilding. Arafat's successor, Mahmoud Abbas, used President George W. Bush's support to catapult himself into the presidency. But the aging leader, now four years past the end of his elected term, has not only failed to implement much needed reforms but huge sums of international aid continue to be squandered, and the Palestinian people stand to lose everything as a result. Supporters of Palestine and Israel alike will find Schanzer's narrative compelling at this critical juncture in Middle Eastern politics.
- GenresNonfictionHistoryIsrael
256 pages, Hardcover
First published October 29, 2013
8 people are currently reading
240 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 8, 2015
It could have been much better than a chronicle of the PA corruption and lack of liberties and the inaction of the US on this account. It could have explained why and how a Palestinian state would fail when it is created and what the consequences and reactions would be. But there is no analysis in this book, just a chronicle of facts you can google for.
December 14, 2013
If the news media and world governments and organizations had been doing their jobs correctly, one of two things would have happened: The information revealed in STATE OF FAILURE would not be unknown to most people and/or the problems might not have reached the state they did. In either case, the lives of the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza would much better and there may have been an independent, viable Palestinian state decades ago.
Instead, the media, governments, and organizations, particularly the United Nations, for several self-serving, short-sighted reasons, ignored what was really going on with the Palestinian leaders and focus their attention on blaming Israel for most problems and propping up Yasser Arafat and Mahmoud Abbas instead of demanding that they actually demonstrate responsibility.
The chapters in STATE OF FAILURE are rather short for such an important topic. However, Jonathan Schanzer packs a lot of information into them. The thoroughly-referenced data provides a very concise history of why there is yet to be a Palestinian state even though it was supposed to be founded at the same time Israel was born.
He puts most of the blame on the Palestinian leaders, primarily Yasser Arafat, for being more focused on remaining in control and increasing their own net worth. By the time there was any demand for fiscal oversight, competently attempted by Salam Fayyad, billions of dollars had disappeared, mostly diverted by Arafat and his cronies.
Mahmoud Abbas who succeeded Arafat was thought to be the man to put things in order. Instead, he has turned into another dictator, enriching himself at the expense of his people.
Schanzer briefly examines the histories of the PLO (created in 1964), Palestinian Authority (1994), Fatah (1950s in Kuwait), Hamas (1987) and their key personnel as well as discussing US policy towards Israel and the Palestinians since Woodrow Wilson’s administration. He writes about Palestinian rivalries and how the pressure to stay in charge affected their decisions including being able to sign a peace treaty with Israel. He explains why the Palestinian people elected Hamas, their feelings towards their government, and why there are currently two separate groups, Gaza and the West Bank. He writes about Palestinian and Arab involvement with the Nazis in World War II as well as Israel’s history and what it did or didn’t do (including the reasons) to contribute to many of the problems.
But the major problem was the lack of interest, at best, of the media and world leaders to look beyond the Israel/Palestine situation. In fact, most of the major problems had very little, if anything, to do with that. They should have realized that different skills are needed for building a viable nation than for leading a revolt.
They should have demanded transparency, meeting objectives for building a state, and good governance before throwing more money at the Palestinian leaders. They also should have demanded that high expectations should be met. “Too often the West is guilty of what US president George W. Bush termed ‘the soft bigotry of low expectations.’” They should have reported on intragroup conflicts and following the money instead of on Israel/Palestine issues.
He said Israel’s unilateral move passing Gaza to the Palestinians was a “strategic mistake.” It allowed Hamas to produce and receive weapons without Israeli interference and claim that “violence works.”
He writes of the negative effects of unilateralism as Palestinians turned to the UN for recognition of statehood without having to actually show they could govern a state. He discusses the persecution of journalists, news media, and individuals who criticize the government.
STATE OF FAILURE ends by listing fourteen points necessary to enable the Palestinians to achieve a functional state capable of serving the needs of the people. It ends by stating
The good news is that the Palestinian leadership can still make these changes and right the ship. But this will not happen in a vacuum. World leaders must begin to make their demands heard. The United States and Europe will need to lead the charge. And when they do, they should make it clear that these demands are not punishment for past transgressions. Rather, they are heightened expectations that can help the Palestinians actualize their dream.
STATE OF FAILURE is well-written, well-organized and easy to comprehend. I hope people pay attention to the message so that the Palestinians can live a peaceful, productive life in an independent, viable state next to its Jewish neighbor, Israel. It’s tragic that it has taken so long for this message to get out. It can be corrected starting now but only if the media, world governments, and world organizations step in to demand, guide, and support genuine, honest improvement.
I received a copy of this book from Goodreads Early Readers.
Instead, the media, governments, and organizations, particularly the United Nations, for several self-serving, short-sighted reasons, ignored what was really going on with the Palestinian leaders and focus their attention on blaming Israel for most problems and propping up Yasser Arafat and Mahmoud Abbas instead of demanding that they actually demonstrate responsibility.
The chapters in STATE OF FAILURE are rather short for such an important topic. However, Jonathan Schanzer packs a lot of information into them. The thoroughly-referenced data provides a very concise history of why there is yet to be a Palestinian state even though it was supposed to be founded at the same time Israel was born.
He puts most of the blame on the Palestinian leaders, primarily Yasser Arafat, for being more focused on remaining in control and increasing their own net worth. By the time there was any demand for fiscal oversight, competently attempted by Salam Fayyad, billions of dollars had disappeared, mostly diverted by Arafat and his cronies.
Mahmoud Abbas who succeeded Arafat was thought to be the man to put things in order. Instead, he has turned into another dictator, enriching himself at the expense of his people.
Schanzer briefly examines the histories of the PLO (created in 1964), Palestinian Authority (1994), Fatah (1950s in Kuwait), Hamas (1987) and their key personnel as well as discussing US policy towards Israel and the Palestinians since Woodrow Wilson’s administration. He writes about Palestinian rivalries and how the pressure to stay in charge affected their decisions including being able to sign a peace treaty with Israel. He explains why the Palestinian people elected Hamas, their feelings towards their government, and why there are currently two separate groups, Gaza and the West Bank. He writes about Palestinian and Arab involvement with the Nazis in World War II as well as Israel’s history and what it did or didn’t do (including the reasons) to contribute to many of the problems.
But the major problem was the lack of interest, at best, of the media and world leaders to look beyond the Israel/Palestine situation. In fact, most of the major problems had very little, if anything, to do with that. They should have realized that different skills are needed for building a viable nation than for leading a revolt.
They should have demanded transparency, meeting objectives for building a state, and good governance before throwing more money at the Palestinian leaders. They also should have demanded that high expectations should be met. “Too often the West is guilty of what US president George W. Bush termed ‘the soft bigotry of low expectations.’” They should have reported on intragroup conflicts and following the money instead of on Israel/Palestine issues.
He said Israel’s unilateral move passing Gaza to the Palestinians was a “strategic mistake.” It allowed Hamas to produce and receive weapons without Israeli interference and claim that “violence works.”
He writes of the negative effects of unilateralism as Palestinians turned to the UN for recognition of statehood without having to actually show they could govern a state. He discusses the persecution of journalists, news media, and individuals who criticize the government.
STATE OF FAILURE ends by listing fourteen points necessary to enable the Palestinians to achieve a functional state capable of serving the needs of the people. It ends by stating
The good news is that the Palestinian leadership can still make these changes and right the ship. But this will not happen in a vacuum. World leaders must begin to make their demands heard. The United States and Europe will need to lead the charge. And when they do, they should make it clear that these demands are not punishment for past transgressions. Rather, they are heightened expectations that can help the Palestinians actualize their dream.
STATE OF FAILURE is well-written, well-organized and easy to comprehend. I hope people pay attention to the message so that the Palestinians can live a peaceful, productive life in an independent, viable state next to its Jewish neighbor, Israel. It’s tragic that it has taken so long for this message to get out. It can be corrected starting now but only if the media, world governments, and world organizations step in to demand, guide, and support genuine, honest improvement.
I received a copy of this book from Goodreads Early Readers.
April 16, 2016
This is my favourite book (so far) on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It shows that even if Israel were to pull back to the 1967 borders today and accept all Palestinian demands, the likelihood of peace would remain slim. Before that happens, the Palestinian government must end its internal corruption, cease incitement, start to build a viable economy (and taxation system) and grant basic civil liberties such as freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Until that happens, there is no chance of peace. This book should be required reading for those who wish to either blame Israel entirely for the lack of a peace agreement or impose a new agreement unilaterally.
April 11, 2016
Gets to the Heart of the Problem
This work looks past the much chronicled Israeli-Palestinian conflict and takes a look at whether the Palestinian's are ready for a state. Sovereignty is a huge burden and requires leadership, strong institutions, and other factors in order to work. This book looks at the capacity of the PA and identifies key shortcomings.
This work looks past the much chronicled Israeli-Palestinian conflict and takes a look at whether the Palestinian's are ready for a state. Sovereignty is a huge burden and requires leadership, strong institutions, and other factors in order to work. This book looks at the capacity of the PA and identifies key shortcomings.
August 4, 2017
A fascinating read, covering a lot of the governance issues of the PA, PLO, and Fatah. This book covers a number of topics that I simply hadn't seen in print before. My only real complaints is that it doesn't really discuss how Israel or the USA have influenced governance in the PA, and it also, for the most part, doesn't touch Hamas. That having been said, it's entire aim is to cover a very narrow topic, so perhaps one shouldn't expect it to have covered those other areas.
January 26, 2022
This authors states that Arafat’s rejection of the generous Camp David offer in 2000 was because of the Palestinians’ feelings of economic instability. And then he refers to Arafat’s decision to launch the Second Intifada as a “strategic mistake.” Garbage.
November 2, 2021
A valuable discussion on the complexities of the history and conflict of Palestinian statehood.
November 29, 2025
Absolute must read for anybody interested in the Arab - Israel conflict
December 5, 2013
State of Failure: Yasser Arafat, Mahmoud Abbas, and the Unmaking of the Palestinian State by Jonathan Schanzer is a non-fiction book which examines if the Palestinian people have created the infrastructure for an independent state. Mr. Shanzer is currently a vice president of research for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and served as a counterterrorism analyst at the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
State of Failure: Yasser Arafat, Mahmoud Abbas, and the Unmaking of the Palestinian State by Jonathan Schanzer asks some very important questions and comes to some remarkable conclusions. The book comes on the heels of the UN decision to grant Palestine a “non-member observer state” status.
The tagline of the book could simply be “follow the money”, as is true in all politics and is especially true in the small state. The author also claims that the Western world only encourages corruption and dysfunction by giving money to the Palestinian on the conditions of participating in the peace process & curbing violence while not considering conditions for a solid government and responsible economic infrastructure.
The author provides a good historical background of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and provides examples of how the leadership failed its people by not developing a political culture and infrastructure that could support startup state. While Mr. Schanzer does not absolve Israel of blame, he lays most of it at the feet of the United States and Europe who are, according to the narrative, major contributors to the failure.
The author counts numerous reasons for the failure, first and foremost is at the roots of the PA; a government organization which, in its core, was based on corruption, secrecy, deception and violence. The PA was also centralized around one man, Yasser Arafat, who kept his ministers on a short leash and gave out important positions based on alliances, family and force. Arafat was accountable to no-one and rivers of money flew through his pockets without any oversight.
While the top leaders of the PA have been enriched beyond their dreams, the common man on the street did not see how peace or statehood was benefiting them. That’s when Salam Fayyad came into the picture. Mr. Fayyad, finance minister and prime minister, tried sincerely for many years to find assets, account for missing money and bring up the PA to global accounting standards. It is to Mr. Fayyad great credit that many donors and states were reassured by his personal integrity to continue and contribute to the Palestinian cause.
However, as many honest people who are up against a corrupt system find out, Mr. Fayyad’s efforts were defeated by the giant wheel of governmental corruption.
The last few pages of the book are recommendation the author offers to the Palestinian government. Many of the recommendations are obvious (terrorists are not administrators, develop the local economy to replace foreign aid, free press, independent judiciary, right to protest, etc.) none of these exist at the time of publication.
The author ends on a somber note, until Palestine gets its act together with a functioning government and a working economy will they be able to stand up on their own. Mr. Schanzer makes those points, and more, clear in a well researched, easy to read narrative.
For more reviews and bookish posts please visit: http://www.ManOfLaBook.com
Disclaimer: I got this book for free
State of Failure: Yasser Arafat, Mahmoud Abbas, and the Unmaking of the Palestinian State by Jonathan Schanzer asks some very important questions and comes to some remarkable conclusions. The book comes on the heels of the UN decision to grant Palestine a “non-member observer state” status.
The tagline of the book could simply be “follow the money”, as is true in all politics and is especially true in the small state. The author also claims that the Western world only encourages corruption and dysfunction by giving money to the Palestinian on the conditions of participating in the peace process & curbing violence while not considering conditions for a solid government and responsible economic infrastructure.
The author provides a good historical background of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and provides examples of how the leadership failed its people by not developing a political culture and infrastructure that could support startup state. While Mr. Schanzer does not absolve Israel of blame, he lays most of it at the feet of the United States and Europe who are, according to the narrative, major contributors to the failure.
The author counts numerous reasons for the failure, first and foremost is at the roots of the PA; a government organization which, in its core, was based on corruption, secrecy, deception and violence. The PA was also centralized around one man, Yasser Arafat, who kept his ministers on a short leash and gave out important positions based on alliances, family and force. Arafat was accountable to no-one and rivers of money flew through his pockets without any oversight.
While the top leaders of the PA have been enriched beyond their dreams, the common man on the street did not see how peace or statehood was benefiting them. That’s when Salam Fayyad came into the picture. Mr. Fayyad, finance minister and prime minister, tried sincerely for many years to find assets, account for missing money and bring up the PA to global accounting standards. It is to Mr. Fayyad great credit that many donors and states were reassured by his personal integrity to continue and contribute to the Palestinian cause.
However, as many honest people who are up against a corrupt system find out, Mr. Fayyad’s efforts were defeated by the giant wheel of governmental corruption.
The last few pages of the book are recommendation the author offers to the Palestinian government. Many of the recommendations are obvious (terrorists are not administrators, develop the local economy to replace foreign aid, free press, independent judiciary, right to protest, etc.) none of these exist at the time of publication.
The author ends on a somber note, until Palestine gets its act together with a functioning government and a working economy will they be able to stand up on their own. Mr. Schanzer makes those points, and more, clear in a well researched, easy to read narrative.
For more reviews and bookish posts please visit: http://www.ManOfLaBook.com
Disclaimer: I got this book for free
August 12, 2015
I received this book for free via Goodreads give aways * thank you!
Funny story, the day after I started this book, Hubs asked if I could explain the Israel - Palestine issue to him. It's a seriously complicated history that is still so relevant, and yet so few people are informed. I had the historical stuff solid, but the 2000s not so much. Though this book is obviously a lot more focused on the Palestinian side than the Israeli side, I found it very informative in filling in some gaps in knowledge. I'm interested in doing some more reading to determine any bias and get more of the concurrent Israeli history. I don't know yet if I'd recommend it, but I suspect I would. It's an easy read for someone with a background in the history. Unsure if it's suited for someone coming in with news outlet only knowledge.
Funny story, the day after I started this book, Hubs asked if I could explain the Israel - Palestine issue to him. It's a seriously complicated history that is still so relevant, and yet so few people are informed. I had the historical stuff solid, but the 2000s not so much. Though this book is obviously a lot more focused on the Palestinian side than the Israeli side, I found it very informative in filling in some gaps in knowledge. I'm interested in doing some more reading to determine any bias and get more of the concurrent Israeli history. I don't know yet if I'd recommend it, but I suspect I would. It's an easy read for someone with a background in the history. Unsure if it's suited for someone coming in with news outlet only knowledge.
December 15, 2013
I won this book on Goodreads. I thought that this was a easily readable overview of the Palestinian State. It will leave me with some things to think about.
August 14, 2014
Brilliant. Everyone should read this book if they want a better understanding of Israel-Palestinian relations and dynamics. Well done.
Want to read
December 4, 2013I just won a copy from Goodreads. Looking forward to reading it. Thank you.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews