Israel and the Arabs

Is it possible for a scholar to specia­lize in two countries as dissimilar as India and Israel? Perhaps a journalist might achieve fame by writing on many sepa­rate countries but it is rare for area specialists to stray from their own coun­try or region. The authors of 0 Jerusa­lem and Freedom at Midnight exemplify journalists whose popular political histo­ries have been read by those interested in the drama of the independence of Israel and India. As thrilling, yet much more systematic is the writing of Michael Brecher on these two countries.

Raymond Tanter is Professor of Political Science, University of Michigan.