This is a comprehensive, incisive, and easily readable guide to the rich past, the volatile present, and the promising future of this fascinating foothold of democracy in the mercurial Middle East. Arian uses analytical descriptions and extensive survey data to explain the complexities of Israeli political institutions, political behavior, and public policy. He chronicles the significant events of this dynamic nation's relatively brief experience of self-government and introduces the series of strong personalities who have dominated its domestic landscape.