The Book Depository The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy by John J Mearsheimer
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Description: The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy : Paperback : Penguin Books Ltd : 9780141031231 : 0141031239 : 26 Jun 2008 : Shows that by encouraging unconditional US financial and diplomatic support for Israel and promoting the use of its power to remake the Middle East, the pro-Israel lobby has jeopardized America's and Israel's long-term security and put other countries - including Britain - at risk. The Book Depository The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy by John J Mearsheimer - shop the best deal online on thebookbug.co.uk
Category: Books
Merchant: The Book Depository
Product ID: 9780141031231
MPN: 0141031239
GTIN: 9780141031231
Author: Alexander Sokol
Rating: 5
Review: The central argument of the book "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy" by J. J. Mearsheimer and S. M. Walt is that there exists a powerful pro-Israel political lobby in the United States, and that this lobby influences foreign policy in a manner detrimental to the United States, and occasionally also in a manner detrimental to Israel. Arguing this, the book also touches upon many aspects of the United States and Israeli politics and history in general, and so becomes in fact a rather complex and far-reaching work. The value of the book, therefore, rests not only on its ability to argue its central thesis, but also on the more general information it provides on United States and Israel. The book is split into two parts. The first part outlines the strong political and financial support which Israel receives from the United States, argues that the rationale for the support can be based neither on national security interests nor on moral grounds, and proposes instead that the "Israel lobby" - a catch-all term for pro-Israel political groups in the United States - is the main reason for the United States support for Israel. In the second part, examples are given of political affairs - the Iraq war, the second Lebanon war and affairs with Syria and Iran - where the authors argue that United States policy has been irrationally favoring Israeli interests in contrast to national interests, and concludes that the Israel lobby has an important part to play in this. Israel and its relationships with its neighbors is a touchy subject, but the authors take great care to clarify their opinions, to nuance their criticisms, and in particular often and explicitly distance themselves from any anti-semitic lines of thought. In general, while I have not checked many of their sources, the book appears well-researched, and the arguments of the authors are for the most part clearly stated and well thought-out. Personally, however, I did not find the main arguments for the power of the Israel lobby entirely convincing. The general modus operandi employed throughout the book is the following: 1. Consider an example of United States Middle East policy in support of Israel. 2. Argue that the policy has been detrimental to United States national interests. 3. Argue that the policy is not justifiable on moral grounds. 4. Give examples that the Israel lobby influenced the policy. 5. Conclude that the Israel lobby yields considerable influence. This method of argument is largely sound, but it is also necessary to realize both that the final conclusion must be qualified as a matter of degree and that there may be other explanations for the United States policy not considered (other lobbies, for example). I found that the authors argued well that the Israel lobby is powerful, and more powerful than most other lobbies. The authors clearly state that they do not believe that the lobby "controls foreign policy" or anything conspiratorical to that effect, nonetheless I did not find myself entirely convinced that the Israel lobby is quite as powerful as they seem to make it out to be. What I by far found most interesting about the book, however, is that during the development of its arguments, many details of United States and Israeli policies are investigated from both an economical, political and moral perspective. In these discussions, the subject is not how much influence the Israel lobby has, rather the subject is simply analysis of a historical political event, where questions are raised as to how various policies affected terrorism, regime changes, peace prospects et cetera. I found these analyses very informative and thought-provoking. Furthermore, while the authors most of the time find Israel culpable of some major or minor moral stumble, they in general appear to attempt to judge the cases on a fair basis. Also, in several cases throughout the book, when the conclusion is not clear-cut, they point this out. Nonetheless, it is ultimately the case the authors spend most of their arguments criticising Israel rather than defending it. In spite of that I found the arguments for the main thesis - the power of the Israeli lobby as claimed in the book - imperfect, I would clearly and warmly recommend it to anyone interested in the relationship between Israel, its neighbors and the United States. Although somewhat academic, it is very readable and very informative on many accounts. The authors give their opinions and arguments on a varied series of historical and current events, and the arguments in general appear well thought-out, impartial and thought-provoking.
Author: Ellie Hughes
Rating: 4
Review: I read this as extra background reading for my A-level Politics course, and found it to be hugely useful and interesting. I knew various bits on the topic but it is a really good background and filling-in-the-gaps type book for those interested in both the Middle East and American foreign policy. The amount of unconditional US support for Israel is staggering and i had no idea of the extent until i read this, but what fascinated me most whilst reading are the reasons for this, and consequently just how much pressure is put on politicians to ensure a foreign policy stance which supports both Israel and the lobby. I believe the authors are pro-Israel, but they make a very good attempt to assess both sides of arguments but forward and therefore offere insightful analysis of the key issues. The book is well-written and informative; my only criticism would be that in places it tends to become a bit listy (for example, various paragraphs just of names of people who support an argument etc) but generally i would definitely recommend this as a read for all budding politicians/historians, and you really don't need much prior knowledge of the Middle East to get something out of this book!
