Is the Israel Lobby Driving US Foreign Policy?

Stephen Walt of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and John J. Mearsheimer of University of Chicago have published what they call a working paper entitled “The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy.” A shorter edited version was published last week in the London Review of Books.

The paper, which makes the argument that US foreign policy follows the Israeli lobby’s wishes at the expense of US security interest has been roundly criticized in the Israeli media and the Jewish press. This linked article in the Christian Science Monitor provides a reasonably good analysis of the media reports on the discussion.

Despite its possible flaws, the Christian Science Monitor as well as other pundits have suggested that the issue is worthy of discussion. Indeed, if there is any truth in what these political scientists assert, it should prompt an urgent national discussion.