- Mar 11, 2000
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" The Israel Lobby "
Published in London Review of Books, March '06
The authors' purpose is to foster sensible public debate about the Israel lobby and America's policy in the Middle East. It is a most serious issue and worthy of reasoned discourse, especially in context of the ongoing War on Terror.
Their thesis (thoroughly footnoted) is essentially that the US places security of Israel ahead of its own due to severely skewed foreign policy favoring Israeli actions.
"This situation has no equal in American history," the authors state.
Mearsheimer and Walt state that the lobby does not comprise a monolithic conspiracy as depicted, for example, in tracts like the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Rather, the lobby is comprised of individuals and groups merely exercising their rights as do other special interest groups, except with more focus and efficacy.
AIPAC - America Israel Public Affairs Committee, is the single largest and influential organization advocating Israeli interests. Members of Congress and their staffs have characterized this group as second only to AARP in the power of influence and political clout in Washington.
Insiders have described AIPAC as "a de facto agent for a foreign government" according to Mearsheimer/Walt with the upshot being that US policy towards Israel is not appreciably debated on the floor of the Congress.
The London Review of Books precis can be found :
http://www.lrb.co.uk/v28/n06/mear01_.html
which links to the actual paper.
Published in London Review of Books, March '06
The authors' purpose is to foster sensible public debate about the Israel lobby and America's policy in the Middle East. It is a most serious issue and worthy of reasoned discourse, especially in context of the ongoing War on Terror.
Their thesis (thoroughly footnoted) is essentially that the US places security of Israel ahead of its own due to severely skewed foreign policy favoring Israeli actions.
"This situation has no equal in American history," the authors state.
Mearsheimer and Walt state that the lobby does not comprise a monolithic conspiracy as depicted, for example, in tracts like the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Rather, the lobby is comprised of individuals and groups merely exercising their rights as do other special interest groups, except with more focus and efficacy.
AIPAC - America Israel Public Affairs Committee, is the single largest and influential organization advocating Israeli interests. Members of Congress and their staffs have characterized this group as second only to AARP in the power of influence and political clout in Washington.
Insiders have described AIPAC as "a de facto agent for a foreign government" according to Mearsheimer/Walt with the upshot being that US policy towards Israel is not appreciably debated on the floor of the Congress.
The London Review of Books precis can be found :
http://www.lrb.co.uk/v28/n06/mear01_.html
which links to the actual paper.