the USA, Israel, and national interest

http://www.chomsky.info/articles/20060328.htm

-- o. nate (syne_wav...), April 7th, 2006.

That's not irony at all. First of all, it makes logical sense that a lobbying group would exaggerate its influence to a private donors. Second, the "defenders" who "rally around it" (me and other people on this thread) are not AIPAC supporters at all. At least I'm not (and neither is Chomsky, obv.) I just don't really believe that they're as influential as that article claims. In fact I think the article comes off a bit paranoid.

Those without experience in critical analysis of conventional doctrine can be very seriously misled by the particular case of the Middle East(ME).

i first i thort that chomsky was like "i.e. people like myself!"

I think the paranoia of the authors (if that's what it is) is a natural result of attempts by defenders of Israel & its policies to intimidate academics. Perhaps the "Lobby" does not have the power to single-handedly move American foreign policy, but it does have the power to threaten academics. Universities have come under pressure for hiring Middle Eastern professors with pro-Palestinian views. There have been accusations of anti-Semitism against those professors who advocate these views in their classrooms at Columbia and other schools. It would only be natural for professors who are faced with these kinds of intimidation to over-estimate the influence of their attackers, especially when their views seem so disenfrachised from the political mainstream.

The title puns on one of Walt or Mearsheimers celebrated works.

The Storm over the Israel Lobby

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/12/AR2006071201627.html
(free registration required)

And an online discussion with the author of the piece:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2006/07/14/DI2006071400780.html

I wish I knew a way I could specifically contribute money against AIPAC.

http://www.tikkun.org/

Yes, that's true- I think it's important to remember that AIPAC is no more secretive or conspiratorial than any other lobbying organization. They make no effort to conceal their aims and activities. To call them a conspiracy would be improper, and -- due to the unfortunate history of anti-Semitic myths about Jewish international conspiracies -- anything that even hints of a conspiracy theory is sure to get some hackles up, and rightly so.

The Iraq war is a great example - did the Israel lobby push for it? Yes. Were some of the neocons that supported it Jewish people who were big Israel supporters? Sure. But if you want to explain why we really went to war in Iraq, it's pretty obvious that you'd have to put energy security and business interests high on the list, followed maybe by the neocon policy of "spreading democracy" (making regions more U.S.-friendly). I mean Ahmed Chalabi did a lot to push the war too but no one's accusing anti-Baathist Iraqis of pulling all the strings.

uh, what? you do know about curveball or screwball or whatever the dude's codename was, right?

More later when I reach the chapter where he talks about the REAL REASON why USA wuvs teh Israel.

I'd say the Lieberman loss is more evidence against the Walt-Mearshimer theory.

The Israel lobby is a powerful lobby, but I don't think it's "The" Lobby.

I wish someone would come up with a new explanation for the US-Israel friendship. what about the Lions and the Rotary Clubs? Hamas' charter fingers them, so they must be up to something.