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The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy

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The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy is the title of a work by John Mearsheimer, the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago, and Stephen Walt, The Robert and Rene Belfer Professor of International Relations at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. The work claims that "the United States has been willing to set aside its own security in order to advance the interests of another state [Israel]", and further that U.S. Middle East policy is driven primarily by the "Israel Lobby," defined as a "loose coalition of individuals and organizations who actively work to steer U.S. foreign policy in a pro-Israel direction."
Mearsheimer and Walt argue that "No lobby has managed to divert U.S. foreign policy as far from what the American national interest would otherwise suggest, while simultaneously convincing Americans that U.S. and Israeli interests are essentially identical". Do you agree?
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They argue that "in its basic operations, it is no different from interest groups like the Farm Lobby, steel and textile workers, and other ethnic lobbies. What sets the Israel Lobby apart is its extraordinary effectiveness." Do you agree?
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They claim that the Israel Lobby and AIPAC in particular has a "stranglehold on the U.S. Congress," due to its "ability to reward legislators and congressional candidates who support its agenda, and to punish those who challenge it." Do you agree?
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Mearsheimer and Walt decry what they call misuse of "the charge of anti-Semitism," and argue that pro-Israel groups place great importance on "controlling debate" in America. Do you agree?
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The authors conclude by arguing that when the Lobby succeeds in shaping U.S. policy in the Middle East, then "Israel's enemies get weakened or overthrown, Israel gets a free hand with the Palestinians, and the United States does most of the fighting, dying, rebuilding, and paying." Do you agree?
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Not sure
The authors argue that "the Iraq war was due in large part to the Lobby’s influence, especially the neoconservatives within it." Do you agree?
Yes
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Not sure
On U.S. support for Israel. Economic: According to the authors, Israel is "the largest total recipient since World War II" of U.S. aid. "Diplomatic/political: The authors write, "Since 1982, the United States has vetoed 32 United Nations Security Council resolutions that were critical of Israel. The authors state: "This extraordinary generosity might be understandable if Israel were a vital strategic asset or if there were a compelling moral case for sustained U.S. backing. But neither rationale is convincing". The authors offer the following in support of this argument:(check those you agree with)
"Backing Israel is not cheap and it complicates America's relations with the Arab World."
"The first Gulf War revealed the extent to which Israel was becoming a strategic burden."
"In fact, Israel is a liability in the war on terror and the broader effort to deal with rogue states."
"Saying that Israel and the U.S. are united by a shared terrorist threat has the causal relationship backwards; the U.S. has a terrorism problem because it is so closely aligned with Israel, not the other way around."
"As for the so-called rogue states in the Middle East, they are not a dire threat to vital U.S. interests, except inasmuch as they are a threat to Israel."
"A final reason to question Israel's strategic value is that it does not behave like a loyal ally."
As for the Moral Case for Support of Israel they argue that: (check those you agree with)
"There is a strong moral case for supporting Israel's continued existence, but that is not in jeopardy."
"Today Israel is the strongest military power in the Middle East. Its conventional forces are far superior to those of its neighbors and it is the only state in the region with nuclear weapons."
"That Israel is a fellow democracy surrounded by hostile dictatorships cannot account for the current level of aid."
"The country's creation was undoubtedly an appropriate response to the long record of crimes against Jews but it also brought about fresh crimes against a largely innocent third party: the Palestinians".
"Yet on the grounds of seeking peace, Israel's record is not distinguishable from that of its opponents."
"...Yitzhak Shamir, once a terrorist and responsible for the deaths of Count Folke Bernadotte, UN mediator and British official Lord Moyne. Shamir, who would later become prime minister of Israel, declared that 'neither Jewish ethics nor Jewish tradition can disqualify terrorism as a means of combat.'"
What is your reaction to "The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy"?
I strongly agree (USA citizen)
I generally agree (USA citizen)
I generally disagree (USA citizen)
I strongly disagree (USA citizen)
I strongly agree (non USA citizen)
I generally agree (non USA citizen)
I generally disagree (non USA citizen)
I strongly disagree (non USA citizen)
This poll was created on 2008-04-04 04:13:07 by sakis