Stephen Walt interview - co-author of THE ISRAEL LOBBY

Описание: STEPHEN WALT INTERVIEW – The Israel Lobby

Like all these interviews posted here, this interview was conducted in 2010 and never seen until now.

This interview occurred at Harvard University, where professor Walt has been a teacher of international relations in the Harvard Kennedy School. Among his books is THE ISRAEL LOBBY, which he co-authored with John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago (I interviewed Mearsheimer about the subject of the Israel lobby also and hope to post it when I repair some sound problems). The ISRAEL LOBBY volume has been translated into over 20 languages and the subject of this interview was themes of that book.

Not surprisingly, the Anti-Defamation League trashed the original Walt/Mearsheimer article that was prelude to the book, claiming that Walt and Mearsheimer “accuse the Jews of falsely screaming anti-Semitism at what they suggest is merely legitimate criticism of Israel … [Their position is] a classical conspiratorial anti-Semitic analysis invoking the canards of Jewish power and Jewish control.”

Extraordinarily credentialed and respected in the academic world, Walt and Mearsheimer nonetheless faced charges of antisemitism from some in the Jewish community for their book that openly discussed the Israel lobby.
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In this interview, professor Walt addresses:

the abuses of the term “antisemitism” – “almost a reflexive charge for those ardently committed to Israel”; some probably actually believe the charge of antisemitism, per criticism of Israel, but for others it is used as “a political weapon”; the charge of antisemitism is effective: it “deters” and “marginalizes” critics of Israel;

why did professor Walt co-author such a book with another author (John Mearsheimer)? – 1) immense topic, 2) two highly respected professors at prestigious universities gave the book more credibility, and 3) “we knew the [book would elicit] a firestorm of criticism directed at us and it would be easier to withstand that if you had, essentially, a buddy in your foxhole.”

What risks was Walt taking in writing such a book? – probably prevented from serving in the U.S. government, “some career paths probably foreclosed.” (He had academic tenure so could risk free speech).

What motivated you to do the book? – “tackle important subjects and tell the truth about them”; “the subject of the Israel lobby has been a taboo subject” – “people unwilling to talk about it.”

“Anybody running for president knows that they are in big trouble if they’re not seen as ardently supporting Israel”; “when we published the book the Dean of the Kennedy School got phone calls from donors complaining about what I had said [in the Israel Lobby book].”

“If this is an open debate based on facts and logic and evidence they [supporters of the Israel Lobby] will lose.”

Stories about calls for cancellation, and cancellation, of Walt and Mearsheimer lectures around the country due to Lobby pressure (“Virtually everywhere we spoke in doing our book tour around the country the organizations told us that they had gotten phone calls protesting our being allowed to speak.”

Walt’s most significant impression of the academic world is its “silence” (“I am more aware that academic institutions are not very courageous, but they pretend that they are.”)

Walt’s disagreements with famed leftist Noam Chomsky about the Israel lobby.

Issue of “dual loyalty” (Walt doesn’t like the term); Israel’s enemies have become America’s enemies; Israel and the United States do not have identical values (non-Jews in Israel are second-class citizens); “Israel is not a strategic asset to U.S. interests.”

American Jews largely voted Democratic and many are activists (anecdotal estimates are that Jews contribute 20-50% of Democratic campaign contributions); there are 35 or so pro-Israel Political Action Committees (PACs) that have raised about $55 million for Congressional candidates, while there are a couple of Arab-American PACs and they have contributed about $800,000 over the same period of time.

“There has been an effort in recent years to expand the definition of antisemitism to include virtually all criticism of Israel.”

A Pew Global Attitudes Survey found that majorities in all countries surveyed – including Israel – answered Yes to the question: Does the United States favor Israel too much?

Neo-cons (the hawkish “neo-conservative”) movement and its activism on behalf of Israel.