The Israel Lobby

The continously odd aspect of American Middle Eastern policy is that it has not been in American self interest, but rather has favored Israel. The perverse nature of American policy has drwan all sorts of critics through the years, but it steadfastly stays the same: it is unrelentingly biased in favor of Israel, and equally unrelentingly ignores the value that Arab states [and their oil] have for America. Recently a couple of academics wrote a long paper on the subject. Atlantic Monthly refused to print it, so it was picked up by the London Review of Books who published it here: LRB | John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt : The Israel Lobby

I will not repeat anything. The essay is well worth reading. It makes the case with both power and clarity, that the Israeli lobby and its network has a disproportionate impact on American policy. In fact that lobby has diverted American policy to the extent that it is designed to help Israel rather than the United States.

A couple of notable points: Dick Armey said in 2002 that his number one foreign policy goal was the security of Israel. Shouldn’t an American congressman have the security of the US as his number one priority? And what value is a strategic ally if you cannot rely on them for help in any way? Israel is such a liability in international affairs that America cannot call on it for help in any Midddle Eastern conflict. Plus it’s expensive: the US subsidises Israel to the tune of $500 per person per year. That money could have been usefully used in New Orleans, not to mention that Israel has a high standard of living and doesn’t need any help.

Anyway, read the article. It’s time this issue was surfaced and debated. America has screwed up its Middle Eastern diplomacy for long enough. We need to straighten things out.