Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy

Mearsheimer and Walt on American Foreign Policy

John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt published The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy in 2007, expanding a controversial 2006 paper that originally appeared in the London Review of Books after being turned down by American publications. Their thesis is that a loose coalition of pro-Israel organizations, think tanks, media figures, and political donors has exercised disproportionate influence over American foreign policy in the Middle East, pushing the United States toward policies that serve Israeli interests at the expense of American national interest.

The Controversy and the Argument

Mearsheimer (University of Chicago) and Walt (Harvard Kennedy School) are both prominent realist scholars of international relations. Their argument is not conspiratorial but structural: they identify specific organizations (AIPAC foremost among them), trace their lobbying activities, document campaign contributions, and map the network of think tanks and media outlets that amplify pro-Israel positions. They argue that this lobby, like other domestic lobbies, operates within the normal framework of American politics but has been unusually successful in making criticism of Israel politically costly. The book was a bestseller, generated intense debate, and remains the most cited academic treatment of the subject. Farrar, Straus and Giroux paperback.

About This Edition

Authors: John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Format: Paperback