Forcing us to have this discussion is the first step into hopefully reshaping how policy is set in this country. I think it is clear that this message, coupled with a more decentralized form of communication and news distribution has forever changed this dialogue.

We owe you our most sincere thanks.

Forcing us to have this discussion is the first step into hopefully reshaping how policy is set in this country. I think it is clear that this message, coupled with a more decentralized form of communication and news distribution has forever changed this dialogue.

We owe you our most sincere thanks.

I have always wanted to commend you for the outstanding job you and professor Mearsheimer did with this book. I recommend this book to anyone that does not realize the true power and domination the Israel lobby has over our foreign policy in the middle east. I truly believed that you brough the topic out into the mainstream and that is exactly what we needed. Most U.S citizens do not know the truth about the Israel lobbies and their corrupt power over the U.S congress.

Great job for speaking the truth!!

I can't remember what year it was that I started regularly googling "israel lobby" "zionist lobby" and "jewish lobby," but back then the only relevant place that search would take me would be Phil Weiss's blog at the Observer. That's all changed now, and I consider the Walt+Mearsheimer article to have been the tipping point.

Congratulations on reaching the 5-year mark, Steve. I've learnt a whole lot from you in five years.

Keep on bloggin'

For whatever it's worth:

I'm a young, relatively well informed, soon to be college grad considering a few different graduate school paths; the sort of person who hopes to someday have some small success or influence. I think I'm largely representative of that demographic, or at least knowledgeable about it socially.

I can tell you that your ideas and arguments have reverberated and will continue to exercise an enduring influence. You've changed the tone and content of the conversations young people of all backgrounds and political persuasions have about these topics. Things that remain third rails in our politics are broadly accepted by the policymakers of tomorrow. Young people who are "pro-Israel" are probably better described as "pro-Tel Aviv, anti-settlement." I've met people who have had wild misconceptions about who you are (best one: "Isn't he some League of the South guy?") go on to affirm conversationally most of your arguments.

Academia being what it is, it seems like this kind of influence only grows more and more imperceptible before suddenly becoming policy. Once policy, people begin to assume the policy has never changed and forget why the change occurred. When that shift comes, it probably won't be your name in the headline, but it's the influence you traded that honor for that caused the change.

The Middle East to day and see that your whole argument is proven to be wrong by the events that took place in recent time.

You see that the arab world could not care any less about what is going on with the palestinians, they obviously care about their own problems more, the rest is lip service and the Islamists look for any reason to hate , so if it wasn't the palestinians they would make up something else, just like the hizbulahh did after Israel had left lebanon. So they hate america because they like to hate.

The recent events prove that Israel is the only reliable stable ally in the middle east that the U.S could count on in a time of need. Mr Walt how much does it cost to keep the fifth fleet in baharain?

You think you can count on the gulf states? I wonder how come you don't write about the saudi lobby and how much money they pour into the american higher education sysytem, is it not a horrible thing?, worse than the so called influence of the Israel lobby? they pour all this money on American Universities for a reason, they are trying to influence the thought of young people and the future generation of leaders which are in universities now.

" Editorials in mainstream papers like the New York Times or the Los Angeles Times call for U.S. government to adopt a tougher approach toward the Israeli government" that is thanks to hussain Obama and not you my friend, they are just acting their role.

I don't think you are an anti semite but I think you are anti Israel and you are not truely abjective, and big questions rise about your motives, how come you judge Israel more than any other country in the world including arab ones , you give it disproportionate attention, they are so many other places in the world where horrible stuff goes on and you are not judging them on the same standard as Israel.
You never give a reason for that, you are obsessed with Israel like no other.

How dare you blame israel for the current situation, look at whats going on in gaza after we left the palestinian incitement is going on and Walt has said nothing about it, terrorists get a government check and pension every month, and they are praidsed in media and education system, this is in the friendly west bank.

who the heck are you to judge us ? It is our kids that are being put at risk when we make peace it is our lives, we have to go to war if your peace adventure doesn't work out, for a realist you are living in quite a fantasy world

Perhaps the next book to do some justice to the greater part of the American society ought to chastise any and all ethnic minorities who, after having been generously offered safe haven in America, are using this land for fighting over the old, petty grievances and hatred they would not leave behind.

Dear Professor Walt.
While you (and Mersheimer) base your complains about the Israeli Lobby's purported nu-proportional influence on the US administrations, mostly on fancy academic exercises. Members of AIPAC most of whom are Jews, they read the truth from Hamas's own holy charter.

Excerpts from Hamas's 1988 Covenant – In their own words

The Charter of Allah: The Platform of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas):

“Israel will exist and will continue to exist until ISLAM will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it (The Martyr, Imam Hassan al-Banna, of blessed memory).”

(comment: Only gullible like you two would believe that, this is NOT a religious war, with intended Holocaust onto the Jews).

INTRODUCTION
(5th paragraph). “Our struggle against the JEWS is very great and very serious. It needs all sincere efforts. It is a step that inevitably should be followed by other steps. The Movement is but one squadron that should be supported by more and more squadrons from this vast Arab and Islamic world, until the enemy is vanquished and Allah's victory is realised.”

Article Five: Dimensions of Time and Space of the Hamas
"…......... Its (Hamas) ultimate goal is Islam, the Prophet its model, the Qur’an its Constitution. Its special dimension extends wherever on earth there are Muslims, who adopt Islam as their way of life."

(Comment: Do you still need convincing that, Muslims hatred of Jews goes back 1350 years?)

Article Seven: The Universality of Hamas
“..............The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him salvation, has said:
"The Day of Judgment will not come about until MOSLEMS FIGHT THE JEWS (KILLING THE JEWS), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Moslems, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him. Only the Gharkad tree, (evidently a certain kind of tree) would not do that because it is one of the trees of the Jews." (related by al-Bukhari and Moslem).”

(Comment: How the world anyone in his right mind, can expect Jews and Israelis to live in peace with, or even next to people who has been taught to hate them as religious tenant?).

Article Six: Peculiarity and Independence
"............. Only under the shadow of Islam could the members of all regions coexist in safety and security for their lives, properties and rights. In the absence of Islam, conflict arises, oppression reigns, corruption is rampant and struggles and wars prevail. Allah had inspired the Muslim poet, Muhammad Iqbal, when he said:
When the Faith wanes, there is no security
There is no this-worldliness for those who have no faith
Those who wish to live their life without religion
Have made annihilation the equivalent of life.

(Comment: Hamas admits that, even if Israel give all of Israel to Hamas, they still face annihilation because they are Jews)

“Part III - Strategies and Methods
Article Eleven: The Strategy of Hamas: Palestine is an Islamic Waqf
The Islamic Resistance Movement believes that the land of Palestine has been an Islamic Waqf ”

And you still believe Hamas wants the 2 state solution?. Live in peace side-by-side Israel?

Israelis and most Jews in US have two options:
a. Read your books, and believe your honky dorry academic thesis, of Hamas is the victim here. Or.
b. Read Hamas's own charter, to realize the Palestinians real agenda vis-a-vis what they euphemistically call Jews “Zionists”..

Whom do you think they are going to believe.?

This is exactly the real reason why you two professors have failed to gain tractions here in US. As Professor Dershowitz had labeled your publications as non-credible. You simply fail to see the real agenda here.

(there's some problem: on second page there seems to be a disconnected comment string)

Thank you! Some for differently vested interests will never change, but American Middle East policy will--merely a matter of time. So thank you, you and Mr Mearsheimer!

Thanks to Professors Walt and Mearsheimer for your excellent book! If ever there was an eye-opener ...

Surely, exposing the Lobby has changed the discussion on the situation in the Middle East. But the facts on the ground remain the same, if not worse, in Israel/Palestine. And the Lobby's grip on U.S. Congress is still as hard as ever.

I agree with some other readers, eagerly waiting for a sequel to the book. The times are changing in the surrounding area. Perhaps when the dust settles in the Arab countries?

'The Israel Lobby' not only delivered an important public service by switching a searchlight on the opaque machinations of a minority, political pressure group that continues to subordinate American democracy to its own agenda - but has impacted the whole perception of the hitherto unappreciated power of the Lobby in political decisions in many parts of the world.

The extraordinary political influence is seen, not only on the foreign policy decisions of the US legislature by virtue of the Lobby vetting members of the congress and senate, but also through its linkage with its counterpart lobbies in Britain through the Friends of Israel pressure groups in parliament and to its similar connections within the higher echelons of the European Union.

Taken as a whole, the power and influence of this unelected body is extraordinary within an international community that proclaims to support democratic government.

The recent act of the president in using his veto against a majority supported UN resolution condemning Israel's illegal settlements, is a clear indication of the dangers of allowing an unelected minority to make a mockery of democratic ideals whereby government should be of the people and by the people.

The current position, if not urgently modified by legislation and public demand, bodes ill for the entire global economic and political structure. Political decisions that affect all of us, wherever we live, should be open and transparent and reflect the will of the majority.

Professor Walt, did you not observe an article i the Washington Post, Wednesday, "Israeli lawmakers held a highly unusual hearing Wednesday to decide whether J Street, a Washington-based Jewish advocacy group that bills itself as “pro-Israel, pro-peace,” ought to be declared anti-Israel."

Yes, it's true! In the eyes of prominent Israeli politicians, J Street is considered to be anti-Israel (why do they not say "anti-semitic" which in effect is what they mean)?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/israeli-committee-debates-whether-us-jewish-group-is-pro-israel/2011/03/23/ABQKpoKB_story.html

No group provides more reasons to AIPAC, and serves Israel's own right wings agenda. other then Hamas itself.

Perhaps the two Professors (Walt and Mersheimer) didn't read Hama's own Charter, or conveniently won't attests to Hamas intent vis-a-vis Jews and Israel, where they spell out precisely of their plan to kill or subjugate the Jews, no matter where they live in the ME. AIPAC, and Jews in general, and Israelis in particular do read them.

Hamas says what it means, and means what it says. They are NOT joking when cite from Quran, what is waiting for the Jews - no one in his right mind, questions or should ignore religious fanaticism, nor take their threats lightly.

Although for our professors this is just another intellectual exercise, as part of their academic requirement to publish their work - for Jews and Israelis this is neither. This is a real ominous and palpable issue. YET, these two gentlemen seem to ignore this group, or take their threats any seriously.

Their obsessive with Israel, and one sided view, is the very reason why most Americans who do follow this conflict, don't take them seriously - beside the proverbial lip service from few publications, designed to pacify them, and their crybaby of being ignored.

I'm sure that as we look back through history of the disaterous and disufnctional relationship the US has had with Israel, yours and Meareshimer's thesis will be seen as a landmark event that brought discussion of a taboo subject into the mainstream.

The fact that yours and Meareshimer's career has also survived, in spite of the relentless attacks you;ve endured for the passt 5 years, also suggests that you delivered your thesis very cleverly and with all the necessary qualifications to deny your critics the latitide to disapriage your names.

Congratulations.

Here is another clear evidence of the professor's lack of credibility in regards to their thesis. Please read on.

In their Book the professors wrote the following:
“Pressure from Israel and the Lobby was not the only factor behind the decision to attack Iraq in March 2003, but it was critical. Some Americans believe that this was a war for oil, but there is hardly any direct evidence to support this claim. Instead, the war was motivated in good part by a desire to make Israel more secure.”

By now we all know that, this statement is false.

On its March 13, 2011 broadcast. CBS's “60 Minutes”, an Iraqi Chemical Engineer, code named “Curve Ball” had publicly admitted that, he was the one who fed the US with false information about Saddam's chemical programs, as he termed it “just to get rid of him”.

As himself admitted, it was the basis on which then Collin Powell's famous speech in UN was made, and had nothing to do with Israel.

Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7359568n&tag=cbsnewsMainColumnArea.9

This is yet another clear evidence, why these two professors lost their credibility with their so-called scholarly work.

Not that all comments reverberate into infinity, but who decided to pull the plug on ongoing discussions ? FP ?

Just for the record, and to avoid typing lengthy emails again only to see them cast away into cyberspace, I agree with Neo and Arvay on this one and will defer to their efforts.

much credit for their courageous calling out of the Israel Lobby and its long and pernicious effects upon the fundamental interests of both the US and Israel. Less well known is that former US diplomat George Ball published a paper in Foreign Policy magazine in 1977 that expressed most of the same ideas that appear in M & W. His article is thoughtful, detailed, and carefully reasoned, and should have been heeded by the US government many years ago. The title of his article: "How to save Israel in spite of herself." (The article is available online for $0.99.)

I recently read the book on The Israel Lobby and found it quite interesting. I was very surprised when I read the book that the Israel lobby is that strong. I read recently in a Israelian waffen journal that many people in Israel still think that this "special relationship" with the US is something positive. However many people from Palestine are objecting to it, so it will be interesting to see how the situation will turn out.

I also agree with Jacob and the Bill Parcells statement - "You are what your record says you are" is very true for this issue.