Posts
OP-ED OF THE DAY: In a powerful piece in today’s Washington Post, Professor Eliot Cohen of John Hopkins University slams Harvard Kennedy School Dean, Stephen Walt and Chicago University Professor John Mearsheimer, co-authors of the Israel Lobby. He does not merely lable the authors "anti-Semitic," but with clarity, reason and precision explains why they are anti-Semitic. Of course, in the authors strange minds this will be seen as proof of the Jewish conspiracy that their paper talks about (I encourage readers to read the entire arcitle in the Washinton Post):
“If by anti-Semitism one means obsessive and irrationally hostile beliefs about Jews; if one accuses them of disloyalty, subversion or treachery, of having occult powers and of participating in secret combinations that manipulate institutions and governments; if one systematically selects everything unfair, ugly or wrong about Jews as individuals or a group and equally systematically suppresses any exculpatory information -- why, yes, this paper is anti-Semitic.
Mearsheimer and Walt conceive of The Lobby as a conspiracy between the Washington Times and the New York Times, the Democratic-leaning Brookings Institution and Republican-leaning American Enterprise Institute, architects of the Oslo accords and their most vigorous opponents. In this world Douglas Feith manipulates Don Rumsfeld, and Dick Cheney takes orders from Richard Perle. They dwell on public figures with Jewish names and take repeated shots at conservative Christians (acceptable subjects for prejudice in intellectual circles), but they never ask why a Sen. John McCain today or, in earlier years, a rough-hewn labor leader such as George Meany declared themselves friends of Israel.
The authors dismiss or ignore past Arab threats to exterminate Israel, as well as the sewer of anti-Semitic literature that pollutes public discourse in the Arab world today. The most recent calls by Iran's fanatical -- and nuclear weapons-hungry -- president for Israel to be "wiped off the map" they brush aside as insignificant. There is nothing here about the millions of dollars that Saudi Arabia has poured into lobbying and academic institutions, or the wealth of Islamic studies programs on American campuses, though they note with suspicion some 130 Jewish studies programs on those campuses. West Bank settlements get attention; terrorist butchery of civilians on buses or in shopping malls does not. To dispute their view of Israel is not to differ about policy but to act as a foreign agent.
If this sounds personal, it is, although I am only a footnote target for Mearsheimer and Walt. I am a public intellectual and a proud Jew; sympathetic to Israel and extensively engaged in our nation's military affairs; vaguely conservative and occasionally hawkish. In a week my family will celebrate Passover with my oldest son -- the third generation to serve as an officer in the United States Army. He will be home on leave from the bomb-strewn streets of Baghdad. The patch on his shoulder is the same flag that flies on my porch.
Other supposed members of "The Lobby" also have children in military service. Impugning their patriotism or mine is not scholarship or policy advocacy. It is merely, and unforgivably, bigotry.”
Tags: Harvard, University of Chicago, Mearsheimer, Stephen Walt, Eliot Cohen, AIPAC, Israel, Anti-Semitic,
Academics' paper on 'Israel Lobby' brings scholarly heat
AEI, Frum: Nuclear Jihad
10 hours ago
Well said Professor Cohen!! Expose these bigots and anti-Semites for what they are !
ReplyDeleteIf by treacherous you mean selling patriot missile components to China...Weapons we put there to protect them then yes Israel is treacherous. There is nothing anti Semitic about having a differing opinion and any notion to the contrary is ludicrous.
ReplyDeleteThat is like saying that anyone who says that the Arabs have a long record of attacking Israel is anti Arab. People who are quick to play the race/religion card are standing on the weakest of moral grounds. Their arguments are usually baseless and they use fear and hate as a weapon to stifle opposition.
What a weak minded argument.
Dearest James:
ReplyDeleteAs one who led the initial effort to eliminate racial and gender preferences in California, I have been called every name in the book, and I certainly know what it is like to be on the receiving end of such accusations, so I don’t make charges of anti-Semitism without very strong evidence (and in this case in my judgment, irrefutable evidence) to back it up.
I’m not sure why you bring up an Israeli weapons component sales to China years ago in regards to general pro-Israel sentiments and lobbying in the US which is the subject at hand? I don’t think that even the most ardent pro-Israel supporter in the US would argue that Israel (or the US) is perfect, or without fault from time to time and the issue you raise is not the only example with regard to Israel. But James, are you conveniently unaware that Great Britain, France, Germany and others have also been involved in sale of weapons systems to China? Are you unaware that US companies (especially during the Clinton administration) transferred very sensitive military technology to China? Does that bother you with the same intensity, since we have provided billions and billions of dollars to defend these European countries (through NATO and other ways)? None of that of course would justify Israeli misbehavior but it does put things in context. If Israel sold Patriot missile components to China, that should be (and was) exposed and dealt with appropriately between the two countries. It should be noted that the US (rightly) pressured Israel to cancel a multi-billion dollar radar-system deal that had no US technological components, and Israel complied even though it certainly was not in their interest to do so, and was forced to compensate China for breech of contract. There are numerous such examples that can cut both ways.
Anyway James, the point is that the co-authors of the ‘Israel Lobby’ raise irrefutably raise classic anti-Semitic conspiracy theories about Jews, and even Christian conservatives. “If one systematically selects everything unfair, ugly or wrong about Jews as individuals or a group (as you did with your single example) and equally systematically suppresses any exculpatory information (as I rise in the comment above) -- why, yes, the paper is anti-Semitic.
In this opinon citing one example is racist or anti semitic?
ReplyDeleteI bring it up because it shows the general attitude that they are in fact not interested in what is best for America. I didnt bring up the infractions of the other countries because we were speaking about Israel. Saying others did it too is also no defense.
Yes it bothers me that we run our country based on the best interests of any country but ours. However we werent speaking about them. The Isarael lobby is singularly offensive because any attempt to say it isnt in our best interest is met with cries of anti semitism.
It gets old and is a weak argument. It also makes me angry because like cries of racism that arent founded it weakens the response when real racism occurs and that is unfair to all. I am in no way an anti semite or racist but I dont buy that valid concerns and criticism are anti semitic. It just seems like a silencing tactic.
Do I believe that the pro Israel lobby has too much influence, yes. Do I believe other do too yes. But the difference is we dont keep seeing american boys sent home in body bags to protect the others.
In my opinion the fascination with Isarael is founded more on the Judeo Christian base in America than it is much else, well that and oil.
I appreciate the civil discourse
James, 1) I will note that I clearly mentioned the other countries, not as an excuse for Israel, but to put matters in their proper context. Without the exculpatory context, you are just singling out Israel. Doi you not see that?
ReplyDelete2) Not a single US soldier has ever died for Israel. In fact, unlike Europe where hundreds of thousands of US soldiers have died, and remain based to this day at great expense, there is no US soldier based in Israel. Unlike Europe, Israel can and does defend itself. The argument that the US attacked Iraq for Israel is redicules. Israel lived with Saddam Hussein for decades. In fact, if it were not for Israel destroying the Iraqi nuclear reactor, the US probably would have faced a nuclear armed Iraq in the first Gulf war, which means that Saddam probably would still be in power, and in control of Kuwait and a large amount of the worlds oil supply. For many folks that's not considered a bad thing, for this web site it is.
None the less please notice that we don't suppress opinions at this site, I will let the readers make up their own minds.
No I feel this way about every country or at least most. I think they all have too much weight in our policy decisions. I was only speaking of Israel because of the post being about them.
ReplyDeleteThe seperate issue is that anyone who thinks Isarel has too much say in our policy is an anti-semite by default. If I said Britian has too much say in our policy and their lobby is too powerful people would debate the issues I raised and it would never occur to most that I was somehow bearing a secret or not so secret hatred against the Brits? Yet when any criticism is levied aginst Israel it is nearly automatic.
As the only democracy in the area I surely think they deserve our moral support and if they were attacked and in need we should come to their aid. I think all of the US policy in the Middle East is based on two things. Israel and Oil. It certainly is not the safety and security of the United States.
We have histroically created the dictators in the Middle East that we then go in and knock down. Israel lived with a Saddam that we armed and propped up. Bin Laden was A okay as long as he was blowing up who we wanted him to. Our foreing policy simply doesnt work.
I am no naive liberal who thinks that the Middle Eastern people would love us if we just were nice to them I want to make that clear. There are serious and long held issues in that area not the least of which is the fact that Israel is widely hated by its neighbours.
The Middle East present real and complicated issues that need to be addressed on alll sides we cant just prop up a guy because he is the enemy of our enemy dejour, only to take him out later when he bullies others the way we have encouraged him to do before against our enemies. It is insanity and it certainly isnt helping the US.
America first, thats all.
Yes, well, That tactic of claiming that speech is being stifled, in itself is an effort to stifle the free speech of those who are critical of the paper. Of course, Walt and Mearsheimer have a right to their views, as do you, but the rest of us also have a right to expose it for what it is. One cannot engage in anti-Semitism by proclaiming gigantic Jewish conspiracies and then cry why when rightly accused of anti-Semitisim. It seems to me that perhaps you have not fully read the report in question. It is posted on this web site, so please take the time to read it entirerly. It speaks of a massive conspiracy of Jews, if that is not classic anti-semitisim, what is? Perhaps you will come to a differenct conclusion upon reading the report, which does not merely take issue with policy, but questions the loyalty of those who support a strong US-Israel relationship (which is more than half the country accoding to every poll done on the matter). Surly you can see the problem with that, even if you oppose a strong US-Israel relationship as a matter of policy.
ReplyDeleteYou get the last word.