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STILL A PROBLEM. One of the more interesting aspects of the criticisms of Mearsheimer and Walt's The Israel Lobby is the way that, despite the authors' specific and strenuous disavowal of the idea of a "Jewish conspiracy," some critics still accuse the authors of describing a "Jewish conspiracy." (Am I supposed to hold the book sideways, or read it by the light of the full moon in order to translate "there is no conspiracy" into "there is a conspiracy"? I’m not sure.) Indeed, Mearsheimer and Walt's continued insistence that they are not engaged in conspiracy-mongering is simply taken by their critics as more proof that they are engaged in conspiracy-mongering, something which, ironically, is characteristic of conspiracy-mongering. But never mind.
Now, I think it's pretty obvious to reasonable people that the charge of anti-Semitism against Mearsheimer and Walt is not serious, except in so much as it indicates the unfortunate tendency of some among the hard-line pro-Israel community to sling it with dangerous abandon. The intent of this, of course, is to "dirty up" anyone who questions the preferred "peace-loving Israel under siege" narrative, and to make sure that right-thinking people are afraid to be associated with such characters. We saw this attempted against Jimmy Carter last year, and a few weeks ago against Zbigniew Brzezinski.
Marty Peretz is at the front of this gang, and has regularly engaged in and, from his perch as editor in chief of The New Republic, promoted these kinds of attacks against Carter, Brzezinski, Walt and Mearsheimer, as well as against hundreds of other supposed Israel-haters who reside at the State Department, at the CIA, in Peretz's television, and in the heating vents of Peretz's house. A few months ago, Eric Alterman wrote a piece for TAP in which he discussed, among other things, Peretz's "obsessive and unapologetic hatred of Arabs, the evidence of which is visible nearly every day on Peretz's [blog] The Spine." Glenn Greenwald has also commented on this, as has Matt Yglesias. I myself, tired of encountering people who were either unaware or in denial of Peretz's tendencies, gathered a bunch of Peretz's riper quotes together on a blog (it was, needless to say, not particularly edifying work) to serve as a demonstration. Judge for yourself. (Note: It's a bit easier to take if you read it in Archie Bunker's voice.)
I've written all this to ask a question: Leaving aside one's opinion of their overall thesis, given that nothing that Walt and Mearsheimer have written about either Israel or Jewish people comes anywhere close to the kind of open contempt and racist invective that Marty Peretz regularly directs towards Arabs, why have Walt and Mearsheimer been pilloried, while Peretz gets a pass? Understand, Peretz as been at this for decades, yet his fanatical prejudice is treated by the commentariat, at worst, as an unfortunate tic. Why is this?
--Matthew Duss
COMMENTS (7)
Prosemitism?
Posted by: Mimikatz | September 24, 2007 12:37 PM
A lot of Jews are hypersensitive to any suggestion that Jews may somehow exert disproportionate political influence in American politics because it seems to validate age-old anti-semitic prejudices. (On the other hand, I have an Orthodox Jewish friend—not a political sophisticate, certainly--who told me Giuliani had a lock on the 2008 election because all the Jews would support him.) It’s rather analogous to discussing minorities’ disproportionate contribution to crime rates—some people are quick to take offense at any such discussion, unless the context is clearly and exhaustively explained. Based on the article (I haven’t yet read the book) I don’t think M&W are as thorough and systematic as they could be in explaining (as opposed to merely demonstrating) the Israel Lobby’s influence. And of course it doesn’t help that they do at times overstate their case, especially on the Lobby’s alleged role in promoting the Iraq invasion.
Posted by: Tony Greco | September 24, 2007 1:56 PM
The irony that bears repeating is that the vicious salvos levied against Walt and Mearsheimer demonstrate at least part of their thesis--the existence of a large, effective, and extremist Israel lobby in this country, one consisting of both Zionist Jews and Zionist Christians, who work with all their might to stifle any free debate on Israel itself and on the US relationship with Israel. Moreover, if it were so obviously in the interest of the US to support Israel so one-sidely and at the cost of so much lost honor in the eyes of the world, then why does there need to be such a huge Israel lobby at all? The US is closely allied with Britain and Japan, for example, but where are the massive lobbies pressuring government policy on behalf of those countries? Is it perhaps merely the case that alliances with Britain and Japan are much more obviously reasonable and advantageous than that with Israel? When is the US public going to wake up to the lunacy of US policy as crafted by the Israel lobby?
Posted by: Phelan | September 24, 2007 3:50 PM
Please write about something other the Walt and Mearsheimer.
I can't actually tell if you are a good and insightful writer because you seem to only write about a topic about which you have little insight.
We know what you think about this. You have yet to make an interesting or original point about it.
For pete's sake, Marty Peretz is routinely (and rightly) hammered on the left.
Posted by: A bored reader | September 24, 2007 5:10 PM
As a young person, I was completely convinced that 'poor little Israel' was always the victim that AIPAC/JINSA portray. As I have aged, I have wised up just watching the 'kid gloves' that come on any time anyone dares to challenge Israel's egregious manipulation of US. I think it is high time they didn't get any 'special' treatment. I would like to see AIPAC/JINSA OUT OF THE US permanently.
Posted by: Anti-Zionist | September 25, 2007 7:24 AM
What the hell did Jimmy Carter do?
Posted by: merlallen | September 25, 2007 8:26 AM
How many hours do you think it will take for the Israeli 'warriors' to stike this site with their egregious 'defence' of Israel???
Posted by: Anti-Zionist | September 25, 2007 8:59 AM