For my subject I would like to examine the importance of Israeli influence in the United States and how it impacts decisions made in the region. I would like to examine the Israeli lobby and would reference Mearsheimer and Walt who examined in their book Custom Essay

Here are the instructions and notes:For my subject I would like to examine the importance of Israeli influence in the United States and how it impacts decisions made in the region. I would like to examine the

Israeli lobby and would reference Mearsheimer and Walt who examined in their book, The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy.

I think that it is an important area of Israel foreign policy that we exam the US lobby. I would like to see the effects that AIPAC and other lobby groups have had. Mearsheimer and Walt wrote their book in

2006 and I think that it is obvious that in some ways allegiances have shifted. I really would like to look at the effect that someone like Jon Stewart of the Daily Show and other American-Jewish personalities

may play when it comes to the contributions that AIPAC recieves and therefore how support for Israels foreign policy resonates in the US. So, prelimarly I would like to say as a Hypothesis that= As public

support for Israel increases in the US the more unhibited Israeli military action becomes. Or something to that effect. Qualitatively I will use public polling of which I believe there may be alot. I will use

quantitative numbers of funds that the lobbys use and more than anything else I will look at the politicians in the US that issue the most support for Israel and its foreign policy.

More than anything with my paper I want to show how important it is to Israel to keep the US citizenry supporting Israeli foreign policy.

-Research Project: All students will write a seminar paper (~8,000-10,000 words) that is due by email before May 5th 12:00pm (noon) in pdf format. Paper topics will be chosen by students in consultation

with the professor, or selected from among a number of prompts. These papers must be empirical in nature. The annotated bibliographies will assist students with coming up with responses to the final research

project.
The research project will also follow the APSA study guidelines.

-Must have a complete bibliography
-I have already turned in the following two annotated bibliographies.
1.

The Importance of Israeli Influence in the United States and How It Impacts Decisions Made in the Region: The Israeli Lobby
Craig M. Martin
University of Nebraska Omaha

The Importance of Israeli Influence in the United States and How It Impacts Decisions Made in the Region: The Israeli Lobby
Annotated Bibliography:
1. Cite: Fleshler, Dan (2009). Transforming America’s Israel Lobby: The Limits of Its Power and the Potential for Change. Potomac Books, Washington, D.C.
Summary:
In his book, Fleshler looks at how America’s Israel lobby serves as the main tool of sustaining a status quo between the two countries. According to him, this relationship has been harmful to the United States,

and deadly to Israel and its Arab neighbors.
Assessment:
This book highlights various obstacles to the implementation of an alternative to the America’s Israel lobby. However, it only emphasizes on the negative side of America’s support of Israel’s policies. It does not

see anything positive in this relationship.
Notes:
This source can be used to support the view that the United States should not blindly support Israeli’s policies. It should rather adopt an evenhanded foreign policy when dealing with the Middle East.
2. Cite: Mearsheimer, John J. and Stephen M. Walt (2008). The Israel Lobby and U.s. Foreign Policy. Penguin, London.
Summary:
This book enlightens the reader on the basis on which the United States’ relationship with Israel’s lobby is built. It also shows how America’s support of the Israel lobby affects its foreign policy.
Assessment:
The book shows that the United States’ support of Israel’s policies has put its long-term security and that of Israel at a risk. However, the book does not give a suggestion on how Israel should relate with the

United States.
Notes:
This book can be used to show how the United States’ pro-Israel lobby leads to the creation of a damaging foreign policy.
3. Cite: Mearsheimer, John and Stephen Walt (2006). The Israel Lobby. London Review of Books, 28 (6): 3-12.
Summary:
Mearsheimer and Walt show that since the Six Day War of the year 1967, the United States’ Middle East Policy has been dominated by its relationship with Israel. This relationship has seen America

supporting Israel both financially and diplomatically for many years.
Assessment:
This article provides important information on how America’s relationship with Israel and its support of democracy in the Middle East Israel has inflamed the Arab World. However, it fails to show whether the

relationship between the two sides is based on compelling moral obligations or shared strategic interests.
Notes:
Mearsheimer and Walt’s article can be used to show how the relationship between Israel and the United States jeopardizes the security of the two countries and that of the entire world.
4. Cite: Stephens, Elizabeth (2006). Us Policy Toward Israel: The Role of Political Culture in Defining the ‘special Relationship.’ Sussex Academic Press, Brighton.
Summary:
In this book, Stephens examines the relationship between Israel and the United States since 1948. He analyzes the principles on which this kind of relationship is based. According to him, the United States’

policy towards Israel is engaging and it is directed by measured kinds of judgments.
Assessment:
This source provides new ways of understanding the special relationship between the United States and Israel. However, it does not show how this relationship influences America’s foreign policy towards the

Middle East.
Notes:
This book can be used to highlight various political, economic, social, cultural, historical and religious factors that influence the special relationship that exists between the United States and Israel.
5. Cite: Quandt, William B. (2010). Peace Process: American Diplomacy and the Arab-Israeli Conflict since 1967. Brookings Institution Press, Washington, D.C.
Summary:
This book describes the United States’ foreign policy towards the Middle East since the year 1967. It looks at the role played by various American presidents in addressing the Arab-Israel conflict.
Assessment:
Quandt underscores the fact that American has adopted a biased foreign policy that favors Israel and discriminates the Arab countries of the region. However, he has not clearly shown why America uses such

a policy.
Notes:
This source can be used to examine whether the United States’ foreign policy towards the countries of the Middle East is influenced by its long-term relationship with Israel. It can be used to show why the

United States’ foreign policy to the region should change.
6. Cite: Azar, Khalil T. (2011). American Foreign Policy and Its’ Link to Terrorism in the Middle East. AuthorHouse, Bloomington.
Summary:
In this book, Azar shows how the Israel lobby tends to distort the United States’ Middle East foreign policy. According to him, the lobby is the main cause of increased terrorism in the region.
Assessment:
This source helps to show how the relationship between the United States and Israel sets a stage for anti-American attitudes to flourish in the Arab and Muslim countries. However, it does not provide an

alternative to the “distorted” Middle East policy adopted by the United States.
Notes:
This book can be used to show how the Israel lobby influences the formation of America’s foreign policy towards the Middle East. It can also be used to show how America’s pro-Israel lobby has contributed

to terrorism in the Middle East.
7. Cite: Talaykurt, Mehmet (2011). Position of the Israel Lobby in the United States’ Political System: Influences of the Israel Lobby on the U.S. Foreign and Domestic Policy. Saarbrucken, Germany, LAP

LAMBERT Academic Publishing.
Summary:
This source examines the importance of Israel’s lobby to the political system of the United States. It shows how the lobby influences the formulation of America’s foreign policy towards the Middle East.
Assessment:
This book highlights the successes and failures of Israel lobby. However, overemphasizes the political factors that influence the special relationship between American and Israel.
Notes:
This book can be used to show that the main function of Israel lobby is to maintain a positive relationship between Israel and America. It can also be used to show how the lobby influences the political

decisions of the United States.
8. Cite: Seager, Frederic and Haim Ben-Asher (2010). The Zionist Illusion. iUniverse, Bloomington.
Summary:
In their book, Seager and Ben-Asher argue that the United States’ pro-Israel lobby has a decisive influence on its foreign policy. According to them, the lobby is able to achieve its objectives as a result of

being well organized and financed.
Assessment:
This source helps to show how the United States’ relationship with the Middle East is influenced by pro-Israel policies. However, it has not shown how America can adopt an independent Middle East policy.
Notes:
This book can be used to show how the pro-Israel lobby is harmful to the United States’ interests in the Middle East. It can also be used to demonstrate the importance of adopting a balanced foreign policy

that can be favorable to both Israel and Palestine.
9. Cite: Roy, Sara (2010). Reflections on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict in U.S. Public Discourse: Legitimizing Dissent. Journal of Palestine Studies, 39 (2): 23-38.
Summary:
This article shows that the culture of intimidation that previously hindered America from seeking a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has started to change. This change can be felt in the academic

environment, policy circles and within the civil society.
Assessment:
This article underscores the importance of questioning the legitimacy of Israel lobby in influencing the United States’ foreign police in the Middle East. However, it does not provide a meaningful framework that

can support such efforts.
Notes:
This source can be used to shows that the United States needs to re-examine its relationship with Israel. It should not use the Israel lobby to justify the way it relates with Israel’s Arab neighbors.
10. Cite: Mearsheimer, John J. and Stephen M. Walt (2006). The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy. Middle East Policy, 13 (3): 29–87
Summary:
In their study, Mearsheimer and Walt suggest that the relationship between Israel and America is due to the role of an American interest group. The group is made up of members of both the Jewish community

and non-Jewish community.
Assessment:
This article shows that the special relationship between the United States and Israel is harmful to the interests of the two countries. However, it overlooks other important alternative factors influencing the

relationship between America and Israel.
Notes:
This source can be used to explain why America favors an uneven-handed Middle East policy. It can also be used to highlight the negative effects of America’s relationship with Israel.
11. Cite: Mearsheimer, John J. and Stephen M. Walt (2009). Is It Love or The Lobby? Explaining America’s Special Relationship with Israel. Security Studies, 18 (1): 58-78.
Summary:
In this article, Mearsheimer and Walt argue that the special relationship between Israel and the United States mainly arises from the influence of Israel lobby. They refute their earlier claim that the relationship

influenced by an American interest group that consists both Jews and non-Jews.
Assessment:
This source helps the reader to understand that public opinion in America cannot be used to explain why the country unconditionally supports Israel. However, the source exaggerates the influence of the Israel

lobby on the executive branch of the American government.
Notes:
This article can be used to explain why the United States favors Israel over other countries of the Middle East.
12. Cite: Koplow, Michael J. (2011). Value Judgment: Why Do Americans Support Israel? Security Studies, 20 (2): 266-302.
Volume 20, Issue 2
Summary:
In his study, Koplow argues that America’s support to the United States is influenced by domestic politics. According to him, the strong relationship between the two countries cannot be explained by the role

played by the pro-Israel lobby.
Assessment:
This article demonstrates the fact that the United States’ foreign policy towards Israel is mainly driven by public opinion. It however, does not provide information on how the relationship between the two

countries influences America’s foreign policy to the Arab countries of the Middle East.
Notes:
This source can be used to support the view that the United States’ relationship with the Middle East is influenced by ideological factors rather than the strategic ones.

2.
Annotated Bibliography

1. Cite: Quigley, John (2005). The case for Palestine : an international law perspective. Duke University Press
Summary:
Quigley starts at the beginning of the Zionist movement that met with success, not from a groundswell of support from any Jewish community, but from the persuasion of British officials that a client state near

the Suez Canal and oil fields would be useful to British interests. The British requested the British Mandate in 1922 which allowed the Zionist state to develop safely.
Quigley shows that the real start of Israel was not from the UN but was from US President Harry Truman. The UN General Assembly Resolution 181, which laid out a partition of Palestine in 1947 was merely

a recommendation. The US had decided that the proposed partition was unworkable and its UN delegates were about to help draw up a trusteeship for Palestine when President Truman stunned everyone by

recognizing Israel after Israel declared itself a state in May of 1948. According to Quigley, Israel had neither title nor legal claim to any part of Palestine until Arafat’s recognition at the 1993 Oslo Accords.=
Quigley notes that the rationale for Israel’s existence as a Jewish refuge was enhanced by Zionist and Israeli actions. Jewish immigration after WW II was often as a result of either the lobbying of foreign

governments to curtail the opportunities for refugees to move to countries other than Israel or Israeli intelligence operations that created the belief that Jews were under attack in various countries.
Quigley not only notes that Israel was the aggressor in the 1967 Six Day War which started the occupation of Palestinian and Syrian territory, but also discounts the Israeli rationale for its aggression, putting

this instead in the context of Israel’s various attempts to expand its territory.
Quigley describes the current grim situation of Palestinian civilians under occupation noting the legal legitimacy of their armed resistance to occupation forces, a resistance that is too often described as

"terrorism" in our media. He notes that world judicial bodies give more legitimacy to those seeking their self-determination than to colonizers trying to maintain their power.
Assesment:
John Quigley, professor of Law at Ohio State University and a leading American expert in humanitarian law, has written a 2005 update of his 1990 Palestine and Israel, An International Law Perspective. . . .

The book is highly readable, despite numerous but unobtrusive academic footnotes; the story Quigley relates will stun many who thought they understood much of this historical background. I think it is

important to assess the validity of the Israel claim when it comes to looking at the US lobby.
2. Cite: Dershowitz, Alan M. (1987). Chutzpah. Little Brown and Co.
Summary:
3. Bueno de Mesquita, Bruce, et al. (2003). The Logic of Political Survival. MIT Press
Summary: The Logic of Political Survival is a rigorous academic treatise that lays out its theory in a formal mathematical framework, examines its propositions through statistical testing, and offers many

historical case studies to support its arguments. The statistical evidence supports the authors’ theory that the sizes of the selectorate and of the winning coalition determine political outcomes, rather than the

alternative theory that democracy by itself is the determining factor. The statistical work was a challenge for the authors because of some problems in defining political variables, and it is subject to some

questions of interpretation; it holds up well overall, however, and adds some heft to the book’s thesis. The authors also take into account and build on a substantial academic literature in public choice and

political economy, and the book includes a long list of references.
Assessment: The book fits in well with the existing literature on public choice, and it advances that discipline by providing explanations for political phenomena that are not well explained in the previous

literature.
4. Mearshimer, John, and Walt, Stephen (2008). “The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy,” Middle East Policy, Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 29-87
Summary: No other special interest group has managed to skew US foreign policy in the directions that they have wanted more than the Israel lobby. Diverting US foreign policy away from US interest

according to Mearsheimer and Walt.
Assessment: This is what my paper will be examining. What is the continued support here in the US and where can we see it going.

5. Walt, Stephen M. (2009). “"What Osama Bin Laden didn’t understand about The Israel Lobby." Foreign Policy. 15 September 2009.
Summary: Bin Laden could have easily quoted the late Senator Barry Goldwater (R-AZ) who wrote in his memoirs that "I was never put under greater pressure than by the Israeli lobby … it’s the most

influential crowd in Congress by far." Or he could have cited former Senator Ernest ("Fritz") Hollings (D-SC), who said that "you can’t have an Israel policy other than what AIPAC

gives you around here." He might have invoked notorious terrorist sympathizer Newt Gingrich (R-GA), who called AIPAC "the most effective general interest group … across the entire

planet," or even former Senate Minority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-MO) who told AIPAC’s annual conference that "without your constant support … the U.S.-Israeli relationship would not

be." Heck, bin Laden could even have brought up Alan Dershowitz, who once wrote that "my generation of Jews … became part of what is perhaps the most effective lobbying and fundraising

effort in the history of democracy." In short, he didn’t need our book to tell people there’s an Israel lobby with a powerful influence on U.S. Middle East policy.
Assessment: This is why I am writing this paper. This article is part of what I want to either prove or disprove in my theory.

6. Cohen, Richard (2007). "Why does America support Israel?". Denver Post.
Summary: This is a review of Mearsheimer and Walt “The Israel Lobby”. It is just an interesting tidbit of insight of a popular common news source that will help me with my subject matter.
7. Borger, Julian. "US professors accused of being liars and bigots over essay on pro-Israeli lobby", The Guardian, March 31, 2006.
Summary: Dershowitz and other professors and administrators have took Mearsheimer and Walt to town calling them names and attacking their research.
Assessment: So where do we stand now?
8.

I have had the following feedback from the professor.

Craig,

One of the key arguments you’ll have to overcome is Waltz’s unitary actor argument. Since states are unitary actors, interest groups are assumed not to matter. Of source I’d look at is

Smith, A et al. (2005). The logic of political survival. MIT press. While technical, this book, and it’s many less technical article shootoffs, should provide a good introduction to how domestic politics can

influence something like foreign policy.

Also, I’d look into the numerous citations in the syllabus in regard to domestic politics and foreign policy.

The Walt and Mearshiner book was pretty heavily criticized – you may want to read some book reviews of it to get a sense of what arguments you’ll need to answer when writing your paper.

To get a sense of public support for Isreal you can look at Pew and Gallup polling data – both good sources. As for how you’re going to aggregrate the polling results and relate them to lulls and rises in Israeli

military action is up to you. Perhaps you can do some simple cross tabs, maybe even just some simple line graphs would work well.

I’d also echo Kyle’s warning. You may be picking up a spurious relationship by looking at AIPAC since they seem to be adminantly pro-Israeli anyway. I’d look for a more neutral source.

Finally I need a complete bibliography with this as well