Sunday,
May 27, 2007
The
ANNOTICO Report
There
are many commentators world wide who do not understand that the many changes in
Italian Governments is often little more than a changing of a few portfolios,
and a slight change of political course, much more preferable than
the drastic changes that take place with a change in the president as occurs in
the USA.
But
here is a look at the state of Politics in
In
Israeli: In politics, as in religion, this is a land of exile and return. In
Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Rabin suffered
stinging defeats in their careers yet managed to claw their way back to the
top. Ariel Sharon was accused of allowing the massacre of Palestinian
refugees in the 1982 war in Lebanon, dismissed as defense minister and banned
for life from serving in that post; his revenge was to become prime minister
nearly 20 years later.Ehud Barak,
the former prime minister who was routed from office six years ago, is making a
bid to take over Israel's Labor Party once again.
And
don't count out former PM Benjamin
Netanyahu, whom angry voters ejected from office in 1999, and
the ever-present Shimon Peres,
who at 83 has occupied or orbited the center of power for longer than most
Israelis have been alive.
Life at the very top in Israeli politics often seems like a game of musical
chairs: namely, a shrinking talent pool of potential leaders,
the result of an increasingly sour public view of politics and politicians that
discourages intelligent, well-qualified people from entering the field.
"Young Israelis go into industry, they go into the arts, they go overseas. But they don't go into politics"
"Israeli politics has been so discredited that there is a dearth of new
leaders."
Public service has lost much of its sheen, experts say, because much of the
public feels it's not being served.
When Israelis look back on the last 40 years, many see a succession of
governments that failed to solve some of the burning questions of the day, the
foremost being the conflict with the Palestinians.
At the same time, sex and corruption scandals have tarnished the image of
officeholders, especially in recent years. Sharon and his sons were dogged by a
corruption inquiry. Within the last nine months,
The dearth of new blood in the last 15 to 20 years,
had made it easier for old hands to revive moribund careers.
In addition, seven devastating years of Palestinian suicide bombings and
another war in
The
former prime minister, routed from office six years ago, is a serious contender
for the leadership of the Labor Party.
By
Henry Chu, Times Staff Writer
May 27, 2007
Ehud Barak, the former prime minister who was routed
from office six years ago, is making a bid to take over
He faces stiff competition in Monday's party primary. Many Israelis still
revile him either as the waffler who failed to close
a deal with Yasser Arafat on a Palestinian state or
the stooge who gave away too much.
But the fact that Barak is a serious contender for
the Labor leadership illustrates a truism of Israeli life: In politics, as in
religion, this is a land of exile and return.
Survey
Celebrated leaders such as Menachem Begin and Yitzhak
Rabin suffered stinging defeats in their careers yet managed to claw their way
back to the top. Ariel Sharon was accused of allowing the massacre of
Palestinian refugees in the 1982 war in
Now, with the government of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
tottering because of his performance in last year's war in Lebanon (some of the
same theaters of conflict make encore appearances as well), three of the
leading candidates to replace him are men who have held the job and been
bounced out.
"
Besides Barak, there is Likud
Party leader Benjamin Netanyahu, whom angry voters ejected from office in 1999,
and the ever-present Shimon Peres, who at 83 has occupied or orbited the center
of power for longer than m ost Israelis have been
alive.
The political situation here is in stark contrast to that in the
In
But analysts also identify a more worrisome reason that life at the very top
often seems like a game of musical chairs: namely, a shrinking talent pool of
potential leaders, the result of an increasingly sour public view of politics
and politicians that discourages intelligent, well-qualified people from
entering the field.
"Young Israelis go into industry, they go into the arts, they go overseas. But they don't go into politics,"
Rubinstein said. "Israeli politics has been so discredited that there is a
dearth of new leaders."
Public service has lost much of its sheen, experts say, because much of the
public feels it's not being served.
When Israelis look back on the last 40 years, many see a succession of governments
that failed to solve some of the burning questions of the day, the foremost
being the conflict with the Palestinians.
At the same time, sex and corruption scandals have tarnished the image of
officeholders, especially in recent years. Sharon and his sons were dogged by a
corruption inquiry that regularly made headlines. Within the last nine months,
The scrutiny and scathing media coverage can b e a strong disincentive to
newcomers.
"The rewards of becoming a politician in
Yoram Peri, an expert on politics and the media at
In addition, seven devastating years of Palestinian suicide bombings and
another war in
Sharon and Barak first made their names in the
Israeli military as war heroes. Netanyahu, though not so decorated, sticks to a
hard line on relations with the Palestinians.
By contrast, neither Olmert nor Amir
Peretz, the defense minister and current Labor Party
leader, can boast of much military experience, and an official inquiry recently
rebuked them for poor decision-making in last summer's 34-day conflict with
Hezbollah. The veteran politicos now look good by comparison, analysts say.
"The devil you know is better than the devil that you don't know,"
said Gideon Doron, a professor of political science
at
Barak, 65, launched his Labor campaign in January, in
a letter acknowledging "my share of mistakes and my inexperience"
during his previous tenure.
Current polls indicate that he is likely to force a runoff with rival Ami Ayalon, but probably would lose in th e second round. Although Ayalon
is a political newcomer, he is no stranger to the public or to security issues,
having served as the head of Shin Bet,
If Barak captures the Labor leadership and Olmert's government falls, the race for prime minister
probably would pit him against Netanyahu, 57, who has managed to rehabilitate
his career after a series of scandals that hit his premiership.
(Peres says he is now interested in being president rather than prime minister,
but characteristically, the octogenarian is not ruling anything out. "Shimon
Peres plans to become prime minister in 2050 or something like that," said
Diskin, the
A Barak-Netanyahu matchup
would cause a serious outbreak of deja vu in
Barak won that battle, but things have changed in
eight years. Only the faces haven't.
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