Understanding Territorial Withdrawal

Reviews / Votes

Understanding Territorial Withdrawal is a vital contribution to the literature on military occupations. Pinfold offers a careful, well-reasoned, and provocative analysis of why some military occupiers choose to withdraw while others only become further entrenched. This is a must-read for students of military occupation and intervention. * David Edelstein, Professor of International Affairs and Government, Georgetown University, and author of Occupational Hazards: Success and Failure in Military Occupation * Why do some military occupations end while others persist? Pinfold's penetrating study offers unique insights into this important question. Drawing primarily on the experiences of Israeli military occupations, Understanding Territorial Withdrawal provides a much-needed analytical framework for appreciating the factors that inform these critical strategic choices. * Richard Caplan, Professor of International Relations, Oxford University, and author of Exit Strategies and State Building * With so much written on how Israel has held on to occupied territory, it is refreshing to have a book which also examines those cases in which it did withdraw. Understanding Territorial Withdrawal is rich and informative, demonstrating that it is the interplay between domestic and international political considerations that determines when an occupation ends. * Lawrence Freedman, Emeritus Professor of War Studies, King's College London * Understanding Territorial Withdrawal is a welcome addition to existing debates over Israel's treatment of conquered territory. The book expertly weaves analysis of the domestic, bilateral, and international arenas. In so doing, it demonstrates how decisions about withdrawal are driven by the strategic and ideational benefits of holding onto conquered territory, compared to the costs imposed by bilateral violence and international opposition. * Nadav Shelef, Harvey M. Meyerhoff Professor of Modern Israel Studies and Political Science, University of Wisconsin, Madison * Pinfold's research into Israel's history of territorial occupation and withdrawal is a much-needed piece of scholarship. Not only does Understanding Territorial Withdrawal highlight the complexity of Israel's territorial strategies, but it also illustrates why Israel has exited from some territories, but not others. Further, the book demonstrates how Israel's experience can provide lessons for other states and occupied lands. * Monica Duffy Toft, Professor of International Politics and Director of the Center for Strategic Studies, Tufts University * It will appeal especially to political scientists and historians interested in state security policy and Middle Eastern politics...Recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty. * Choice * Rob Geist Pinfold's Understanding Territorial Withdrawal: Israeli Occupations and Exits, is a timely contribution to the scholarly literature on territorial conflict and conflict resolution. * Ariel Zellman, Global Policy Opinion * Understanding Territorial Withdrawal is a robust analysis of Israeli foreign and defense policy. * Tami Amanda Jacoby, Israel Studies Review * The author illustrates the ways in which politics in the occupying power affects the decision to withdraw or to remain. In comparisons with other countries, he demonstrates how occupation and exit are framed and contested domestically. * Natan Aridan, Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs * Understanding Territorial Withdrawal examines the politics of Israel's occupations and "exits" through case studies of the Sinai Peninsula, Lebanon, Gaza, the West Bank, and the Golan Heights. The comparative analysis considers each of these occupations individually and highlights the linkages between them. * Nathaniel Shils, Middle East Policy * Excellent book. * Raphael D. Marcus, Routledge *