The Hebrew Republic: How Secular Democracy and Global Enterprise Will Bring Israel Peace At Last

by Bernard Avishai

Political economist Bernard Avishai has been writing and thinking about Israel since moving there to volunteer during the 1967 War. now he synthesizes his years of study and searching into a short, urgent polemic that posits that the country must become a more complete democracy if it has any chance for a peaceful future. He explores the connection between Israel’s democratic crisis and the problems besetting the nation—the expansion of settlements, the alienation of Israeli Arabs, and the exploding ultraorthodox population. He also makes an intriguing case for Israel’s new global enterprises to change the country’s future for the better. With every year, peace in Israel seems to recede further into the distance, while Israeli arts and businesses advance. This contradiction cannot endure much longer. But in cutting through the inflammatory arguments of partisans on all sides, Avishai offers something even more enticing than pragmatic solutions—he offers hope.

Genres: Nonfiction

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Hebrew Republic" 'How Secular Democracy and Global Enterprise Will Bring Israel Peace at Last.'

The title threw me off. The book has almost zero following in Goodreads. The author has good discussion points on the role of religion, of cultural/ national Jews, the 'benefits' of the Palestinians in the 'greater' Israel, on Israeli enterprises, on Israel's relationships with Europe, the US, and its neighbors.
The author sees 'nirvana' in the evolving political/ economic life of Israel and Palestine. His model seems to be in his Canadian youth and Quebec model an example for Palestine. The book feels like an autobiography and the author's journey in Israeli Judaism. The books makes some excellent points, but you are left hanging in the author's perfect world.......