Surviving Capitalism (Not) : Introduction to the Israel Lobby

We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Introduction to the Israel Lobby

Click here to access article from Veterans Today.

The Israel Lobby is one of the most powerful and pervasive special interest groups in the United States. It began its activities many decades ago and played a major role in the creation of Israel.

It consists of a multitude of institutions, many of them extremely well-funded, that work to influence Congress, the Presidency, academia, the media, religious institutions, and the American public on behalf of Israel. It also includes influential individuals.

I'm not sure that AIPAC serves Israeli interests at the exclusion of US (imperial) interests simply because I think that there is a convergence of interests. I think that Israel serves the West's ruling Anglo-American ruling class as a fortress outpost in the oil rich Middle East. But, I acknowledge that a good argument can be made for Zionist interests being the dominant party as does this article. On the other hand, the fact that the US has not (yet) gone along with Israeli's insistent desire over the past decade to attack Iran suggests otherwise.