You can’t really understand what happened [in the war in Lebanon] if you don’t understand the political power of pro-israel groups in the United States.Our bottom line [is] that the influence of the israel lobby has led to policies that are not in the US national interest, not in the interest of other countries in the region, and ultimately not in israel’s long term interest[.]
[The US gives] about $3 billion [in] economic and military assistance each year. That’s about $500 per year, per israeli citizen despite the fact that israel is a relatively wealthy industrial power.
That aid is largely unconditional.
It’s not linked to Israeli behavior.
It gets its aid when it builds settlements.
It gets its aid when it spies on US,
when it sells American high technology to countries like China,
or when it attacks civilians in the West Bank, Lebanon, or Gaza.
* * *The bottom line here is that no other country gets the same level of economic, military and diplomatic support [from the United States as does Israel].
The remainder of Walt's discussion focuses on why this unconditional support is not only disastrous for United States strategically, but also indefensible morally.
Mearsheimer gives a scathing talk on israel's morally indefensible war on Lebanon, categorically rejecting israel's claim that Hizbullah used civilians as human shields.
This panel discussion is a MUST SEE and a MUST PASS ON.
Hearing about Walt and Mearsheimer’s paper is one thing and seeing them in action is a whole different experience. I urge everyone to watch them.
They give a compelling, comprehensive, and cogent presentation of everything that’s wrong with the US israel relationship.
Submitted by leftfield on Sat, 2007-02-03 22:49
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Many thanks for these outstanding videos.
And you are welcome, you did a good job. I cant do the links, and commentary as brilliantly as you.
you're too kind . . .
They were amazing, though, weren't they?
And the best thing about it is that Walt and Mearsheimer have a LOT to lose, yet they are so fed up that they are willing to risk it - anything to put a stop to these madmen.
The worm is finally turning.
It takes a lot of courage for academics like Mearsheimer & Walt to come out in the open with a Report on the IL-Lobby and with public statements like they did. They face the loss of their academic positions, loss of scientific work and self-promotion opportunities. What makes them do this? Who is behind them, protecting them (and President Carter) in the end? It would be interesting to find just out who, with enough power, has decided to turn against the zionist tide: to elect these benefactors of the US people and humanity as our next Presidents.
Another video. In this one, Mearsheimer argues that the Lobby was greatly influential to the US decision to go to war in Iraq.
I'm about halfway through W&M's book, The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy, and I plan to type out an excerpt in the coming weeks for WUFYS readers. The book is really impressive in terms of research and scholarship.
bringing 'democracy' to the middle-east would be There can be only one_chosen!! =/