What prompted you to write this book?

Two personal perspectives. With over twenty years of experience in the industry as a public relations practitioner, Margalit identified a significant gap in the way public relations was practiced and perceived in Israel compared to the developed countries she visited as a member of the international PR community. While studying and working in the US she became intrigued by those differences. Israel for example, had no academic program in public relations till 2011 while in the US it was a recognised discipline within many universities. She decided to respond to scholars such as Sriramesh and Vercic who in the late 1990s called for the discipline of public relations to research the profession within the context of specific cultural and political environments rather than follow the assumption that all public relations experiences follow the US model.
As a Scottish republican, David has been questioning national identity almost since birth and has been researching PR since 1997. Only recently, however, did he appreciate the formative role of public relations in personal and national narratives and the impact of national identities on the evolution of PR as a profession. Our joint trips to Israel helped us both to identify the interplay of nation building and PR as a distinctive way to understand both the uniqueness of the Israeli system and its possible relevance to other unique national experiences.

What makes Israel stand out from other countries, in terms of the use of PR to inform/build national identity?

Israel, at 65, is relatively a new state that was established by immigrants from around the world with about 70 different cultural identities and languages. The Zionist movement that established the state made a phenomenal effort to unite them into one society and to create a new Israeli identity. The first public relations practitioners were employed by Zionist institutions. They used PR to enlist the new immigrants to the challenging tasks involved in building a nation and a state. They also provided the enlisting narratives, symbols, and emotional messages that inspired the sacrifice of personal individual goals, and sometimes, lives, for the sake of building a state.

Does the definition of PR change when used in the context of nation building?

Current definitions of public relations emphasise the role of the practitioners as facilitators of dialogue between organisations and their constituents, and as builders of networks of relationships. We argue that in situations of nation building, the pressure to use propaganda-style communication is intense. The whole society, including the media, tends to cooperate and support the agendas set by the national leadership. Typically, there is no tolerance for dissident voices as happens during wars. Enlisted societies rarely offer the democratic environment that allows PR to flourish in line with contemporary definitions.
 

Do other techniques form national identities in Israel?

There is a special term in Hebrew called Hasbara which, literally, means “explanation.” It is used to describe the effort of government, or other organisations, to influence public opinion within Israel and abroad. A paternalistic approach to persuasive communication, Hasbara is based on the assumption that the receivers of the message are ignorant or lack the background knowledge to understand correctly without guidance. Hasbara, or the lack of it, is often blamed for the poor image of Israel abroad and the international criticism on its behaviour, especially in the context of its conflict with Palestinians. Hasbara is often used to describe public relations campaigns though it is closer to propaganda and does not recognise the need for interactive dialogue.

What is the difference between political propaganda and public relations, or is it that political propaganda is a tool of public relations?

Any type of propaganda, not just political propaganda, is one sided and involves half-truth or lies while ignoring or shutting down the voices of opponents. Public relations aims to be more dialogical and to present activists and other critical voices to the decision makers of their organisations. The profession aspires to ethical communication and to the building of relations of trust with stakeholders, the public, and the media. In reality, however, it can operate akin to many features of propaganda and only pay lip service to the attitudes and demands of internal and external publics.

Why do you think PR has not been examined before in terms of nation building and national identity?

There have been a few scholars who did examine this interaction and, more recently, there’s been increased research in the area. Nonetheless, most of the literature on public relations has been produced since the 1920s in the US. That literature assumed American leadership of the profession and the academic research. With the rise of globalisation, and less US-centric approaches, scholars have studied different professional experiences in different parts of the world. Jacquie L’Etang’s (2004) pioneering book on the history of public relations in Britain was a first of its kind. In a sense our book follows her steps by providing a different story from another political, economic, and socio-cultural environment.

What is the overall message of the book?

That unity should not ride roughshod over democracy and that dissenting voices need to be heard. We see an urgent need to make the future activities of public relations contribute positively and transparently to the growth of “fully functioning societies.” In a climate of nation building and nationalism, PR can be too easily pressed into the service of government propaganda. It needs to build a history of resistances to these pressures. By remembering that it functions best in a democratic environment, it can help to speak truth to power to preserve that environment. Israel’s success in providing narratives that enlist society to unite and to sacrifice for the state offers lessons that unity sometimes comes at the cost of democracy.

If you were pressed to name one lesson to be taken away from this research, what would it be?

We hope our narrative will encourage public relations practitioners and scholars from all over the world to make their histories visible, to learn from both their positive and negative aspects and to share both as widely as possible. Our deeper aspiration is that PR practitioners, activists, and media workers can jointly contribute to more democratic societies.

Who did you write this book for?

We have ongoing discussion with Margalit’s family and friends in Israel and Israelis, Jews and non-Jews outside of the country. While writing the book we were trying to clarify our position to them and work out how our experiences in our nations had shaped us. Our colleagues and friends from all over the world who research and study the role of public relations in society were a significant audience in our mind. We also tried to create a book that would help Israelis understand PR and the Israeli PR industry to acknowledge its professional roots and be inspired by the socially responsible aspirations of contemporary public relations practitioners across the world.
 

You can also browse the Cyber Security Awareness collection, featuring over 30 FREE ACCESS journal articles, until the end of February.

To purchase any of the following books, with 20% off the standard price, simply enter the code GDC71 at the checkout.

To claim your 20% discount, simply add the title to your basket and enter discount code SEA20 at the checkout. This offer expires on 31/03/2013 and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. For more information, please follow the link below.

In a time of great political change and unrest, these highly topical texts offer succinct accounts of the contemporary political environment in the Middle East.
 

Written in a clear and accessible manner, this series fills a conspicuous gap in the existing academic literature on the MENA region. It will be of interest not only to students of international politics and Middle East studies, but also to anyone travelling in or wanting to learn more about the region. Here we have provided a selection of the most recent titles, but you can see below for links to the rest of the series. 

To receive 20% off any of the series titles for a limited time only*, enter the code GDC72 at checkout.

 Lebanon: The Politics of a Penetrated Society

Systematically exploring Lebanon’s history, society and politics, the author stresses the importance of the crucial role of external actors in the Lebanese system. The analysis encompasses:

• the formation of the state
• weaknesses and dynamics of the Lebanese state
• the civil war
• post-war government and change
• the Lebanese economy
• foreign policy

 Libya: Continuity and Change

Following a brief look at pre-independence Libya, the author explores the way in which the fragility of the post-independence state, unable to contain rising Arab nationalist struggles and growing economic expectations, opened the way for the Free Unionist Officers led by Muammar al-Qaddafi to seize power. He then traces the progressive development of the revolutionary state through four stages:

• the consolidation of power to 1973
• the projection of power to 1986
• withdrawal and retrenchment to 1999
• the redefinition of the state after 1999.

Jordan: A Hashemite Legacy, 2nd Edition

Under the rule of King Abdullah II, Jordan has remained an influential regional player in the Middle East Peace Process, its strategic position on the borders of Palestine, Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Iraq ensuring that it cannot be overlooked in the regional and international politics. The new edition includes coverage and discussion of:

• the reign of King Abdullah II
• the involvement of the US in the Iraq war and the effect on this on Jordan’s alignment with the West
• the country’s recent economic growth, with an emphasis on economic liberalisation, privatisation, promotion of tourism and encouragement of foreign investment
• the position of Jordan as a point of continuity in an increasingly unstable Middle East.

Turkey: Challenges of Continuity and Change

The authors put issues relevant to Turkey today – such as consolidating democracy, dealing with economic development issues, improving its human rights record and its foreign policy – in an historical context, allowing comparisons with other late developers in the world and reflecting the complexity of Turkish political and socio-economic developments. Turkey also argues that the modernization process that started in the nineteenth century, with all its elements including secularization and Westernization, has taken root.

* = Offer valid until 26th February 2013.
 

Three major objectives guide this research. One is defining Unholy Alliances. This complex dependent variable, focused on the interaction between crime and violence, is defined and explained by looking at actors. Three patterns of interaction show how militants may operate or cooperate with illegal enterprise. The first pattern is characterized by a mix of opportunistic and pragmatic objectives; in the second pattern militants are driven by ideological objectives; while networks of the third type are almost wholly predatory.

The book’s second objective is to identify the conditions prompting the establishment of Unholy Alliances. The authors argue that transborder identity networks provide the setting where militant organizations using violent strategies – insurgency and terrorism – operate. Ongoing armed conflict is a key factor forging alliances of convenience. Another factor is the availability of local criminal markets and networks, which expand in interaction with the global illegal economy. Still another factor is the availability of weak states, black spots, as well as corrupted and criminalized states bordering on states in conflict. Not least, supra-national institutions interact with crime and violence in a quest to counter it.

The book’s third objective is to identify successful fund-raising models used by networks of transborder militants. These include sponsorship, donation, predation and enterpreneurship. Each of them has been analyzed in view of its profitability, risks, and regional strategies for controlling them.

The Unholy Alliances project examines six paired case studies, including the cross-border ethnonational movements of the Kosovar Albanians and the Turkish Kurds; the trans-border religious movements of the Islamists in Bosnia and Algeria; as well as the dysfunctional and vulnerable states of Bulgaria and Serbia, the first transitioning to a market economy; the second pursuing radical nationalist politics. The case study material is complemented by analysis of information from open-source coding by the Minorities at Risk Organizational Behavior (MAROB) project of criminal activities by ethnic organizations in the Middle East and post-Communist countries. The book’s major finding suggests that militants depend on money to survive and succeed; however availability of strong identity networks and in-group support is just as important as money for their survival.

There are three meta-strategies for containing Unholy Alliances. One is the pursuit of closely coordinated regional security policies, those that increase the costs and reduce the opportunities for terror, international criminal activity, and state corruption. Regional coordination and direction is key here. The second meta-strategy is to provide identity groups with open political channels for pursuing their interests, including sub-state autonomy. The third is diversion of illicit economic activity, and gains, into the legitimate economy.

Routledge Major Works WINTER BACKLIST OFFER! (from 12/12/12 – 12/3/13)

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This particular offer really shows the scope and range of Routledge Major Works-an essential reference teaching programme for your library.

eBooks from Taylor & Francis - Helping you to choose the right eBooks for your Library

As we enter 2013, we are seeing more and more institutions and libraries investing in electronic information products and resources. There is increasingly less space for physical books, and students are now accessing more information remotely.

A 2012 IFLA report rightly makes the point that 'eResources present a number of challenges not encountered with the selection and acquisition of traditional analogue materials'. For this reason, at Taylor & Francis we endeavour to offer you as much support as possible to help you integrate our eProducts into your library as easily as possible. And with our eBooks, we have made things super simple.

At first glance, the sheer scale of our eBook backlist and frontlist can be quite daunting. We have over 30,000 eBooks across the Humanities, Social Sciences, Behavioural Sciences and Law, from leading imprints, including Routledge, Focal Press and Psychology Press.

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Give our new video a watch and get a snapshot of what T&F eBooks could do for your library:

Based on his award-winning thesis, Kovras's book Truth Recovery and Transitional Justice is due to be published by Routledge in June 2013.

See full details of the award on the PSAI website.

The novel acknowledges a number of books in helping inform the author about the world he chose to portray, including Hugh Wilford's The CIA, the British Left and the Cold War: Calling the Tune?, which traces the story of the CIA's campaign to win the Cold War allegiance of the British Left. The book is available to buy from Routledge now, so follow the link below for more information.

Hugh Wilford is Professor of History at California State University, Long Beach.

The second edition of Security Studies continues to be the most complete and detailed tectbook for students, giving an overview of the major theoretical approaches, key themes and most significant issues on the topic.

With a contributions from leading shcolars in the field, it provides a valuable teaching tool for students of all levels.

Read more or request a complimentary exam copy here.

View the catalog here.

This excellent new resource lists all our published and forthcoming Handbooks in the areas of Politics and International Relations, and Military, Strategic and Security Studies. You can browse the full list and click on a title of interest to:

• Buy a copy
• Recommend your librarian order a copy
• Add a title to a booklist

You can do all of this whilst in the catalog, and you can save a booklist to come back to later. This means you never have to remember what you entered into a search box, or click 'Back' multiple times to get to the titles that are relevant to you.

View our 2012 Handbooks below:

The USHMM website provides a wealth of information on genocide, from definititions to eyewitness accounts. You can find out more or view the poll in full online.

If you are interested in reading more about the study of genocide, Samuel Totten and William S Parsons' edited volume, Centuries of Genocide, is now in its fourth edition with new chapters that look at Rwanda genocide and Herero genocide, among others. It offers an excellent introduction to the study of genocide, using several case studies from the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first centuries, written by recognized experts and provoking an understanding of the resposibility of genocide.

Follow the link below to read more about the book, or request an exam copy.

This new Routledge Major Work collection includes articles which have been seminal to the study of al Qaeda terrorism in three separate decades, from the academic community’s first attempts to grapple with al Qaeda terrorism in the 1990s to works examining the impact of the Arab Spring and the death of Osama bin Laden on its future. It also includes recent research outlining how documents recovered from bin Laden’s Abbottabad compound have reshaped our understanding of the inner workings of the terrorist group.

The collection will be welcomed by researchers, students, and counter-terrorism specialists as the go-to resource. The gathered materials are mainly drawn from scholarly journals of the first rank and chapters from the most authoritative books. Also included are a small number of newspaper and magazine articles which have already made an enduring impact on what is a very new field of research. Al Qaeda is an essential work of reference and is destined to be valued a vital one-stop research and pedagogic resource.

For further information or to order a copy, please visit: www.routledge.com/9780415581745

Paul Cruickshank

Paul Cruickshank is a New York based investigative reporter specializing in Al Qaeda, a CNN Terrorism Analyst, and an Alumni Fellow at the Center on Law and Security at New York University’s School of Law. He previously worked as an investigative journalist in London, reporting on al Qaeda and its European affiliates and was part of the CNN reporting team that covered the London July 7, 2005 attacks and the tenth anniversary of 9/11.

He was part of CNN's on-air breaking news coverage immediately after news broke of the death of Osama bin Laden in May 2011 and also covered the 2010 Mumbai style plot against Europe, the October 2010 package bomb plot and the Christmas Day 2009 plot to bomb an airliner over Detroit, and the November 2008 Mumbai attacks in India.

Visit the author's website at: www.paulcruickshank.com/home

Delivered entirely online, this is the leading terrorism studies course - vital if it's part of your responsibility to protect people, infrastructure, organisations or investments.

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Certificate in Terrorism Studies. 100% online delivery
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Understanding the threat is key whether it be to governments, transport networks, investments, private organisations or to the public, and understanding this threat involves knowing who is involved, how and why they act and their capacity to inflict harm.

The Certificate in Terrorism Studies from the University of St Andrews and in partnership with IBC Academy, addresses these needs. It provides the knowledge that is so essential to understanding and ultimately countering terrorism and political violence. By knowing how and why terrorists plot against civilians, governments, corporations, commercial operations, transport or IT networks makes an unmistakable difference to an organisation's security strategies. Request the course brochure for a detailed syllabus and fee information, or download from the course website.

Terrorism in its many forms is ranked as one of the most significant security concerns facing governments and private sector organisations worldwide. The evolving threat has become more complex and more diverse leading to an increased need to understand the history, processes, motives, structure and identity of those who choose to carry our terrorist acts.

Join over 4000 participants from 75 countries, who have enrolled for this world leading programme.
 

Course summary:

• The Certificate is a 16 week programme although it is possible to request additional time
• Can select to study individual modules - 4 weeks each
• Delivered 100% online, no attendance required
• You will require reliable access to an internet connection

Study four modules selected from choice of nine:

• Key Issues in International Terrorism (compulsory)
• Terrorist Ideologies, Aims, Beliefs & Motivations
• Terrorist Modus Operandi
• International Policing Policy
• Cyberterrorism
• Critical Infrastructure Protection
• Aviation Terrorism & Security
• Maritime Terrorism & Security
• Radicalisation & De-Radicalisation
• Chemical, Biological, Radiological & Nuclear (CBRN) Weapons in Terrorism
• Terrorism & Human Rights - NEW FOR MAY 2013 ENTRY

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If you are a member of the UK armed forces, this course qualifies for the Enhanced Learning Credits scheme, quote our provider number 2035.

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