Analysis & Opinions - The New York Times
Israel's Friends and the Path to Peace
Letter to the Editor
Note
This letter was written in response to Jeffrey Goldberg's op-ed, "Israel's 'American Problem' " which was published on May 18, 2008.
Jeffrey Goldberg attacks our book, “The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy,” while openly embracing one of our main arguments.
He writes that we “argue, unpersuasively, that American support for Israel hurts America. It doesn’t. But unthinking American support does hurt Israel.”
Our book contains detailed case studies showing that unconditional support for Israel is not in America’s national interest. Readers can judge for themselves whether we are “persuasive.”
But we also emphasized that “the lobby’s impact has been unintentionally harmful to Israel,” that its actions “may even be jeopardizing the long-term prospects of the Jewish state” and that its “influence has been bad for both countries.”
The lobby’s harmful impact on Israel was also a central theme of an op-ed article, “Israel’s False Friends,” we wrote in The Los Angeles Times on Jan. 6. Mr. Goldberg clearly agrees with this part of our argument.
John J. Mearsheimer
Stephen M. Walt
Chicago, May 18, 2008
Want to Read More?
The full text of this publication is available via the original publication source.
For more information on this publication:
Belfer Communications Office
For Academic Citation:
Mearsheimer, John J. and Stephen M. Walt.“Israel's Friends and the Path to Peace.” The New York Times, May 20, 2008.
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Note
This letter was written in response to Jeffrey Goldberg's op-ed, "Israel's 'American Problem' " which was published on May 18, 2008.
Jeffrey Goldberg attacks our book, “The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy,” while openly embracing one of our main arguments.
He writes that we “argue, unpersuasively, that American support for Israel hurts America. It doesn’t. But unthinking American support does hurt Israel.”
Our book contains detailed case studies showing that unconditional support for Israel is not in America’s national interest. Readers can judge for themselves whether we are “persuasive.”
But we also emphasized that “the lobby’s impact has been unintentionally harmful to Israel,” that its actions “may even be jeopardizing the long-term prospects of the Jewish state” and that its “influence has been bad for both countries.”
The lobby’s harmful impact on Israel was also a central theme of an op-ed article, “Israel’s False Friends,” we wrote in The Los Angeles Times on Jan. 6. Mr. Goldberg clearly agrees with this part of our argument.
John J. Mearsheimer
Stephen M. Walt
Chicago, May 18, 2008
Want to Read More?
The full text of this publication is available via the original publication source.- Recommended
- In the Spotlight
- Most Viewed
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Analysis & Opinions - Foreign Policy
The United States Has Less Leverage Over Israel Than You Think
Analysis & Opinions - Foreign Policy
It's Not Too Late for Restrained U.S. Foreign Policy
Analysis & Opinions - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
The Other Side of the Strait: The Strategic Significance of the Houthi’s Aggression for East Africa
In the Spotlight
Most Viewed
Analysis & Opinions - The Atlantic
The Aftermath of the Baltimore Bridge Collapse
Analysis & Opinions - Foreign Policy
The United States Has Less Leverage Over Israel Than You Think
Press Release - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
Barham A. Salih Joins Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and Middle East Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School as Senior Fellow