Fortress Israel

Patrick Tyler worked for twelve years at The Washington Post before joining The New York Times in 1990, where he served as chief correspondent. His books include Running Critical, A Great Wall (which won the 2000 Lionel Gelber Prize), and A World of Trouble. He lives in Washington, D.C.

"[A] readable and informative new history . . . timely." --"The Economist" "[A] revealing chronicle of Israeli foreign and defense policy . . . Tyler's well-researched account illuminates an ugly and troubling dimension of Israeli policy and politics." --"Publishers Weekly ""Tyler presents a sharp critique of the close relationship between the Israeli government and the officer corps of the Israeli military . . . [he] researches deeply and does not pull his punches." --"Booklist """Fortress Israel "is the definitive historical and analytical account of the role that Israel's military has played both in Israel itself and in the wider Middle East. In Patrick Tyler's deeply reported and very well written account, one learns how a militarized Israeli culture has permeated the decision making of Israel's governments for decades and how that culture affects the calculus of its politicians today. If you want to understand Israel's future--and also how that future may play out in the Middle East--this book is mandatory reading." --Peter L. Bergen, author of "Manhunt: The Ten-Year Search""for Bin Laden from 9/11 to Abbottabad ""In this exceptional book, Patrick Tyler demonstrates with meticulous documentation and revealing interviews with the country's national security experts how Israel's founding military and intelligence leaders were essential to the survival of a young nation. Tyler also tackles the vexed question of our era: Will Israel's warrior ethos and its legacy of zero-sum strategies for dealing with its Arab neighbors and the Palestinians prevent it from crafting a lasting peace? Tyler's analysis of how much the world lost with the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin is definitive and heartbreaking. "Fortress Israel "is essential reading for students of the Middle East." --Howell Raines, former executive editor of "The New York Times ""With "Fortress Israel," Patrick Tyler takes his place in the first rank of historians o