The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy
John J. Mearsheimer (R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science and Program on International Security Policy – University of Chicago) and Stephen M. Walt (Professor of International Affairs – John F. Kennedy School of Government – Harvard University) should, in my opinion, be nominated for the Pulitzer prize in literature for this work. They won’t be. Trust me.The Israel Lobby won’t allow it.
For anyone who has an interest in Israeli-American relations, this book is now required reading. Furthermore, if you are interested in garnering a vastly greater understanding of the influence of special interest groups on the American political process, this book is a superb place to begin.

This book is controversial, not due to the positions the authors take or an imbalance in the way they delve into the issues, it is because the book is the most detailed and comprehensive look ever put in print regarding the genesis and current state of relations between the U.S. and Israel.

I found so many things so incredibly enlightening that I won’t go into all of them here. One area that was terribly interesting is how right wing evangelicals in the U.S. have developed an intriguing, yet duplicitous relationship with Israel. There were also horrifying realities illuminated by the authors…realities some people would like us to forget or overlook.

However, this book contains incredibly important insights into the removing the obstacles that block the avenues for progress in establishing a legitimate homeland for the Palestinian people…a peace and place and a possibility whose realization is illuminated more clearly by this work from John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt.

The most tremendous work I’ve ever been privileged to read on illuminating the “way ahead” for understanding both current and future possibilities for U.S.- Israeli relations – and the fate of those who must have the courage to speak up for change and the realization of peace in the Middle East.