One of the Most Powerful Interest Groups in the US Capital Washington - Research Proposal Example

Jewish American Lobby Influence on Us Foreign Policy towards Israel Lecturer How the Jewish American Lobby Influences Congress on Us Foreign Policy towards Israel The Britannica Concise Encyclopaedia defines interest groups as “any association of individuals or organizations, usually formally organized, that, on the basis of one or more shared concerns, attempts to influence public policy in its favour.” (Quoted in Goldstein, 5). In United States, several ethnic, economic, and cultural interest groups exist with a primary purpose of protecting and advancing the interests of another sovereign state even at the express cost of their own domestic country. These interest groups use various methods principally actively lobbying the political class to ensure this schema is sustained. Among the most prominent are the Zionist/Jewish groups that have been joined by various Christian groups to form a powerful pro-Israel lobby group. The predominant lobby group among the pro-Israel supporters is the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which together with other powerful Israel friendly groups have been accused of adversely influencing US foreign policy ‘dominating American foreign policy while disguised as a domestic lobby (Gates, 1). However, there are over 60 pro-Israel lobby organisations with the most powerful being AIPAC, Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the American Zionist Council (AZC), and the American Jewish Committee (AJC). Among these, 52 are affiliated to the umbrella body The Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish American Organizations representing American Jews. The Israel lobby has also prospered with the addition of the powerful Christian evangelicals to their cause as the evangelicals enjoy massive support in rural America even though there very few Jews found there. In the UK veteran Labour legislator, Tam Dalyell declared in 2003 that, “A Jewish cabal have taken over the government in the United States and formed an unholy alliance with fundamentalist Christians … There is far too much Jewish influence in the United States” (Nelson). United States as the only remaining world superpower has thus immense influence on most of the global foreign policy unmatched by any other nation. Since the demise of world communism and the fall of the Berlin Wall, much of the world attention has been expended on the Middle East agenda, which mainly evolves around the toxic Israel-Palestine relations or rather Arab-Israel conflicts. In this regard, the US actions and inactions have shaped its relations with both set of antagonists. The United States unwavering support of Israel has thus shaped its relations with the Arab countries of the Middle East leading to the US bearing the brunt of overt violent backlashes from the hard-line terrorist groups predominant in the region and other Muslim countries due to its choice of extraordinary ‘friendship’ with Israel. Mearsheimer and Walt (Pg.1) in the famous treatise The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy ascribe this unequivocal support of Israel to the pervading influence of the Israel Lobby groups within the United States and the increasing power of the often compromised US Congress often to the detriment of US own national interests. The authors outline how the initial support of a Jewish state in 1947 has persisted to shape US foreign policy towards the Middle East more importantly than the often-cited influence of crude oil production from the Arabic countries. The involvements that led to the US suffering terrorist attacks from extremist groups including the Osama Bin Laden led Al Qaeda group. US has led invasions in Afghanistan and Iraq ostensibly to spread democracy to the region but often due to the prodding of the Israel lobby whenever they deem that Israel interests are threatened in total disregard of the detrimental consequences to US own interests. Currently the tense relations with the emerging regional powerhouse Iran accused of having nuclear bomb ambitions dominate US foreign policy in the Middle East. Shain (70) has cited the emergence of ethnic influence of US foreign policy as crucial to US interest to maintain what he calls Wilsonianism to stem the rise of neo-isolationism. The influence of the Diaspora communities in shaping US foreign policy is thus evident or prevalent with many ethnic groups. Some like the Cuban-Americans lobby have long standing aim of overthrowing the Castro led Cuban government; the African-American (Black Caucus) influence in Haiti invasion and African interests; Arab-American lobby groups evolving around Middle East oil interest and thus Arabic interests; and the most powerful, the Israel lobby groups looking out for Jewish interests in Israel (Shain, 87). O’Donnell (p.208) argues that the pro-Israel lobby group coalescing around Jewish-Christian caucuses often has a negative influence on US foreign policy. He argues that the groups works sometimes goes beyond lobbying a can thus be termed the ‘pro-Israel communities’ or ‘help-Israel movement’ (O’Donnell 210). Uzer (8) accuse the interference in ensuring a more balanced US foreign policy in the Middle East that could lead to the resolving the long running Arab-Israel conflict. Although foreign policy is often designed and geared towards, observing specific national interest of the domestic country, the prevailing domestic ethnic constrains expressed by Congress but fuelled by the diasporas lobby groups makes it impossible for United States to pursue a balanced even-handled foreign policy. The liberal McCain-Feingold Act of 2003 raised the level of contributions receivable from individuals from $1,000 to $2,300 and a total of $9,200 for federal candidates in primary and general elections. Gates (2) identifies a method employed by the lobby groups to compromise candidates (bundlers) who are financed through expanded contribution hence in a ‘influence-peddling process’ thus securing the support of selected candidates. The power of the rich lobby groups is highlighted by a report from the Jewish Achievement (quoted in Gates, 2), indicating that 42 percent of the heaviest political donations in 2000 elections were made by Jewish caucuses though only two percent Americans are of Jewish descent. Correspondingly, among Forbes 400 richest Americans, a quarter is Jewish thus render the groups a powerful campaign backing to advance their agenda. Blankfort (1) has likewise attributed the continued predominance of pro-Israel lobbies in the corridors of power to the corrupt election system prevalent in the United States that allows influence peddlers to purchase or finance candidates at will. This has been manifest in the US system since the nineteenth century and any politician ambivalent to this is quickly hounded out of office through carefully orchestrated manipulations through the Jewish controlled media, theatre, intellectual, economic and other forums. Current tactics involve encouraging or taking members of Congress on guided tours of Israel to win their support. According to Bard (2), over 100 Congress members paid a visit to Israel frequently at the behest of the lobbies. According to Davidson (nd), most Americans have minimal interest in US foreign policy decisions as evidenced by opinion polls during election years. He thus asserts that this dim view of the outside environment leads to over reliance on experts “pundits” or “opinion makers” who are often the lobby groups advancing their own agenda masquerading as a domestic or American interest.. Davidson describes how public opinion is shaped subtlety through carefully selected public fed information pieces by the Jewish controlled media to shape public opinion in favour of their parochial interests in face of the gullible public largely uninterested in foreign affairs. The control of the media is exemplified by that of Australian born American Zionist leaning financier Rupert Murdoch who owns both the electronic and print media companies in six continents (Free-Press). Curtiss (17) and later Anderson (2) underline how the perverse biased US foreign policy in the Middle East has made the idea of democratisation repugnant to the Arabic nations after over 60 years of American hegemony. These policies have methodically eroded and estranged the Muslim countries to detest Christianity and anything American due to the actions of the Zionist lobby groups. The influence of the powerful rich lobby groups has largely privatised foreign policy to serve the insular interests of either economic, ethnic or cultural groups thus deviating from the ideal preferred national interests (Davidson, nd). These biased policies have contributed to the terrorist problem faced by the US citizens and thus directly and indirectly contributing to US insecurity concerns. Mearsheimer and Walt therefore assert that, “the United States has a terrorism problem in good part because it has long been so supportive of Israel” (p. 64). Mearsheimer and Walt (1) allege that, the continued prejudiced US foreign policy in the Middle East makes the government complicit to the crimes committed against the Palestinian citizens in the region. This is reflected in the support of the key pro-Israel hawkish groups Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organisations and AIPAC, which support the expansionist program of Jewish settlements in the occupied territories hence undermining any prospect of a peaceful resolution to the existing conflicts there. According to the authors, the pro-Israel lobby has two principal strategies, namely: manipulate Congress and the executive in favour of Israel; and secondly, actively influence public opinion favourably towards Israel by evoking biblical rights of the Israel people by the Christian Zionists thus effectively gagging any potential dissenting voice fearful of a public backlash in the mainly pro-Christian nation. Although therefore have been several advocates of the continued status of US foreign policy dominated by private entities including ethnic minorities, Smith argues that, “the negative consequence of ethnic involvement may well outweigh the undoubted benefits [such] activism at times confers on America in world affairs”(2). Lindsay essentially reveals the apprehension of many cynics by stating, “Ethnic lobbies have passionate critics because of the lurking suspicion that they put the interests of their ancestral homeland before those of the United States” (Pg.40). MacDonald alleges that American Jews have “dual loyalty” often more eschewed towards Israel rather than their domestic country. Similarly, he asserts that Jews have cultivated a siege mentality amongst their ranks and spread to the sympathetic Christian groups to gain advantage in political dealings thus ensuring any anti-Israel motions are soundly defeated in Congress and public court (Pg.9). The 1995 Jerusalem Embassy Act, which required the United States government to shift its embassy location from the Israel capital to the biblical or spiritual capital of Jerusalem, was another extreme overt act by the pro-Israel lobby in efforts to scuttle the ongoing peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. Mearsheimer and Walt (176) and MacDonald (42) reveal the extent of the hawkish stance of the US pro-Israel lobby that has been found to be even more radical than the right-wing leaning Likud Party in Israel in asserting the right of Jewish settlement expansion and having Jerusalem as the nation’s capital. Many lobby groups are often openly hostile to any peace agreement initiated by the various US presidents attempting to reconcile the warring parties and end the long-running saga. Like the other extremist Muslim terrorist groups in the region, the US pro-Israel lobbies advocate for a purely Jewish state expelling the Palestinians to the periphery. Bard traces the influence of the Jewish lobby to the “almost religious fervour” with they have embraced politics to cater for their interests (nd). This is particularly effectively due to their strategic spread in key voting regions that have higher voter college votes than others. According to data from the Jewishvirtuallibrary.org/, with a population of six million Jews or 2.3 percent of the national population, “94 percent have been reside in 13 crucial electoral college states” which constitute such a significant voting block that they can even elect a president exclusively. With the double addition of pro-Israel sympathisers, the influence of the lobby group has become phenomenal. Any presidential candidate with anti-Israel notions is therefore deemed a non-starter after alienating the movement. During the 1996 Presidential elections, The Conference of Presidents of Major Amer­ican Jewish Organizations alleged that Jews contributed more than 50 percent of President Clinton’s campaign kitty (Zacharia, 4). Conversely, Bard highlights how the Arab-Americans are constrained by low numbers, disunity and funds effectively lobbying their cause against the onslaught of the powerful Jewish lobbies. With a population estimated at 1.2 million Arabs (only 6 percent Palestinian), the fact that almost 40 percent are Lebanese Christians indifferent to Arabic/Muslim causes hampers their feeble efforts. Despite the fact that there is a rapidly growing political muscle among US Muslims; the lack of sizable number of Arabic Muslims (a fifth only) renders them ineffective to counter the Zionist groups. Among the general US population, public support for Israel has been quite high though the efforts of the Jewish lobby groups in the media have played a great part. Nevertheless the mainly Christian leaning country with cultural, economic and political ties have made Israel more popular than Arab/Muslim countries now associated with terrorism by the public. [See Figure: 2] Lipset and Raab have surmised the dominant presence of Jewish hegemony in key sectors of American society alleging that within the last three decades, fifty percent of the top 200 scholars, including twenty percent college lecturers, forty percent partners in major law firms, 59 percent of the major contributors to the highest rated movies and primetime TV series (Pg. 26). Walt and Mearsheimer allege that the pro- Israel lobby openly displays its power just like other lobby interest groups including the gun lobby(National Riffle Association), worker groups among other hence does not hide its activities (p. 150). According to an article in the Israel’s prominent Jerusalem Post quoting data from Vanity Fair magazine’s portrayal of the “the world’s most powerful people”, including bank executives, media moguls, etc., over 50 percent of the listed individuals were of Jewish descent (Burstein). In the midst of the mostly critical aspirations on undue ethnic influence on American foreign policy, Ambrosio and Shain assert that the topic has been overblown since these same influences have been there throughout history and have not emanated from the current Washington lobby groups. The authors argue that keeping ties with the ancestral homes is beneficial to both societies as the lobbies can likewise influence good governance positively in their ancestral homes. The influence and admiration accorded the pro-Israel lobby groups has led to the US Indian American Political Action Committee (USINAPAC) stating that it aims at emulating the power of the Jewish lobby groups, particularly ALIPAC, thus effectively advancing its agendas. It has therefore forged an alliance with the latter for this purpose enabling it play a part in the US-India nuclear successful negotiations (Frontline). In 1984 a subsidiary of ALIPAC named Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP), was formed as think-tank on policy decisions. This Jewish lobby has strategically positioned its members in the various US administrations across the years who eventually return to the same organisation after their terms expire. These individuals ensure the continued propagation of the pro-Israel lobby in the government. US government aid to Israel has been constant and massive totalling an estimated $140-240 billion dollars depending on various analysts. This includes a direct three billion dollars allotted annually to the Israel government (Kathleen and Bill Christison) [See Figure1]. However as Walt and Mearsheimer noted in there Working Paper of 2006, the continued dalliance with the pro-Israel lobby has spawned a “resilient insurgency in Iraq, a sharp rise in world oil prices, and terrorist bombings in Madrid, London, and Amman” (Pg. 30). Conclusion The pro-Israel lobby group made of various Christian/Jewish organisations has been revealed one of the most powerful interest groups in the US capital Washington with far reaching influence regionally and internationally. Analysts claim that the US foreign policy has been under the siege of these groups who covertly and overtly affect the policies undertaken by the various US governments. The power asserted by lobby groups including the gun lobby, oil, religious and ethnic interest groups has had the profound effect of confining US foreign policy to the hands of private enterprises rather than the for the public good. The dual roles of these ambivalent groups has seen the country’s national interests ignored and pushed to the periphery or camouflaged to conform to the various prevailing group exerting influence in the Congress or to the executive. There is therefore an urgent need to curtail the power and influence of the groups which is mostly effected through the decadent electoral system which has permitted the most moneyed to prevail hence been at the mercy of the benefactor, read lobby groups who finance the candidate’s campaign kitty. An overhaul of the US electoral system can reduce the influence of the pundits and their lobby groups, hence a more sober appraisal of US real foreign interest can be pursued. The predominance of individuals and certain ethnic groups dominating a particular sector, including the media, cultural, economic and intellectual should also be actively regulated to ensure fairness and equitability in the society. Works Cited Anderson, Irvine H. Biblical Interpretation and Middle East Policy: The Promised Land, America, and Israel, 1917-2002 (Gainesville, Fl: University Press of Florida, 2005). Ball, Christopher L. "Roundtable Review." M.Walt., John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen. 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London: Farrar, Straus and Giroux,, 2007.—. "The Israel Lobby And U.S. Foreign Policy." Journal Compilation, Middle East Policy Council (2006): Pp.29-87. Walt, John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt. "The Israel Lobby." London Review of Books (2006): Vol. 28 No. 6 dated 23 March 2006. Weber, Mark. A Straight Look at the Jewish Lobby. A Straight Look at the Jewish Lobby. Chicago: Institute for Historical Review, 2003. Zacharia, Janine “The Unofficial Ambassadors of the Jewish State,” The Jerusalem Post (Israel), April 2, 2000. Reprinted in “Other Voices,” June 2000, p. OV-4, a supplement to The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. Appendices Figure 1: U.S. Aid to Israel Source: Organski, AFK: T he $36 Billion Dollar Bargain Pg. 142 . Figure 2: Israel vs. Arabs/Palestinians Public Support in United States Source: Jewish Virtual Library, 2006 Read More