The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy

sehr gut

This book looks at the special relations between the US and Israel, including the US aid and arms transfer to Israel, putting that in context by comparing its dollar value as well as its no-strings-attached nature to the US relations to other nations. It then dives deeper into the rationale behind this exorbitant flow of tax-payer's money, considering the strategic alliance and the moral case of the US supporting Israel to the extent it does, and invalidates said justifications, arguing that Israel is becoming more of strategic liability to the US and the moral case is dwindling.

In search of the true reason, the book introduces the Israel lobby. It defines the lobby as "the loose coalition of individuals and organizations that actively work to shape US foreign policy in a pro-Israel direction". It includes organizations such as American Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), by far the most well-known, but also Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Conference of Presidents, and Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), to name a few; but also a host of individuals who shape public discourse by writing op-eds, putting pressure on university administrations and such.

There's been a clear distinction made between the lobby, which is not an organized central effort, and the American Jewry on the one hand, and the American public opinion on the other, showing myriad examples in which the policies favored by the lobby differed from either. Then in painstaking detail, a host of examples are shown in which the lobby influenced American policy through, especially in the Middle East, especially the hawkish sentiments inside the beltline against Syria, Iraq, and Iran, in particular; and the war on Iraq very specifically.

The book is very well-research and extensive, citing a variety of sources. While this adds to the scholarly credibility of the book, I found it somehow detracts from its readability. For each point made, there is example after example supporting it, with extensive notes to back up the presented examples. In that sense, it feels more of an expanded journal article than a book. I understand the draft version of the book was indeed a journal article, the authors decided to expand into a book, and tried to address criticism they received, by among others presenting a host of examples for each point they made. As a layperson reading the book, I found that rather unnecessary.

Being factual, the book cites a lot of examples with details and being written in 2006, many examples were from before the time I started following the issue and hence did not direct context on them. I would have loved to be reading a newer version of the book, where it cites examples I remember from the time they were happening. Having said that, I would say the book has aged very well, in that the arguments presented are as relevant and valid today as they were at the time the book was first written. It is indeed very depressing to realize, reading this two decades later, that the US policy has not shifted from its course and the adverse effects the book is cautioning against continue happening and have in face come to a head as I write this.

In short, I found the book top-notch scholarly work, well reasoned and abundantly documented and referenced in excruciating detail. It's a must-read for anyone interested in American politics, foreign policy, and international relations; Israel, or Palestine, despite being twenty years old now.