The Arab Lobby and US Foreign Policy (Routledge Research in American Politics)

286 Pages·2008·1.43 MB·English

by  Khalil Marrar

“Khalil Marrar brings us a closely reasoned, powerfully documented,
and gracefully written analysis of the OTHER lobby and efforts to shape
US policy in the Middle East. Avaluable antidote to the simplicities that
continue to distort this long running tragedy.”
J. David Singer, University of Michigan
“This is an important and much-needed book. Marrar uses the politics
of atwo-state solution for Israel and Palestine as awindow through which
to see the activities and prospects of the pro-Arab lobby in the United
States. Part of the creativity of this work is that Dr. Marrar not only stu-
dies how pro-Arab lobbygroups in the U.S. have tried to influence public
opinion and foreign policy, he also shows how the arrow points in the
other direction—the way that the Arab lobby is influenced and con-
strained by events in America and abroad. This thorough and provocative
examination helps fill a tragic gap in our knowledge of ethnic interest
group politics, and serves as a must-read for students of American foreign
policy and ethnic interest group politics.”
Patrick J. Haney, Professorof Political Science, Miami University

The Arab Lobby and US Foreign Policy
The US foreign policy stance on Israel–Palestine has shifted considerably in
recent years, from a position of “Israel only” to one which embraces both
Israel and Palestine in a call for peace. This volume assesses why the US
stance has evolvedin theway that it has, concluding that while international
factors cannot be overlooked, developments within the United States itself
are also crucial.
After years of vacillating on Palestinian national aspirations, the majority
of Americans, the author notes, have come to favor the establishment of an
independent Palestinian state on the West Bank and the Gaza strip.
Considering whataccounts forchanges in US policyonIsrael–Palestine, this
volume:
(cid:1) delivers a thorough assessment of the role of international and domestic
factors in shaping US policy in this area;
(cid:1) considers how US policy has evolved from the Camp David negotiations
of the 1970s up to the occupation of Iraq in the mid-2000s;
(cid:1) explores the significance of American public opinion and the pro-Israel
and pro-Arab lobbies in the evolution of US policy.
The Arab Lobby and US Foreign Policy will be of interest to students and
scholarsofforeignpolicyand politicalscience,currentaffairs,and American
studies.
Khalil M. Marrar is Professor at DePaul University, USA. He has served in
editorial positions at the Arab Studies Quarterly and the Association of
Arab-American University Graduates.
Routledge Research in American Politics
1 Think Tanks and Policy Advice in the US
Academics, advisors and advocates
James G. McGann
2 The Arab Lobby and US Foreign Policy
The two-state solution
Khalil Marrar
The Arab Lobby and
US Foreign Policy
The two-state solution
Khalil Marrar
Firstpublished2009
byRoutledge
2ParkSquare,MiltonPark,Abingdon,OxonOX144RN
SimultaneouslypublishedintheUSAandCanada
byRoutledge
270MadisonAve,NewYork,NY10016
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2008.
“To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s
collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.”
RoutledgeisanimprintoftheTaylor&FrancisGroup,aninformabusiness
©2009KhalilMarrar
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereprintedorreproduced
orutilisedinanyformorbyanyelectronic,mechanical,orothermeans,
nowknownorhereafterinvented,includingphotocopyingandrecording,
orinanyinformationstorageorretrievalsystem,withoutpermissionin
writingfromthepublishers.
BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData
AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData
TheArablobbyandUSforeignpolicy:thetwo-statesolution/Khalil
Marrar.
p.cm.Includesbibliographicalreferences.
1.UnitedStates–Foreignrelations–MiddleEast.2.MiddleEast–
Foreignrelations–UnitedStates.3.Lobbying–UnitedStates.4.Pressure
groups–UnitedStates.5.Arab-Israeliconflict–1973-1993.6.Arab-Israeli
conflict–1993-7.PalestinianArabs–Politicsandgovernment–1973-1993.8.
PalestinianArabs–Politicsandgovernment–1993-9.Israel–Politicsand
government–1973-1993.10.Israel–Politicsandgovernment–1993-I.Title.
II.Title:ArablobbyandU.S.foreignpolicy.III.Title:Arablobbyand
UnitedStatesforeignpolicy.
DS63.2.U5M3852008
327.73056–dc22
2008021678
ISBN 0-203-88739-5 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN100-415-77681-3(hbk)
ISBN100-203-88739-5(ebk)
ISBN13978-0-415-77681-3(hbk)
ISBN13978-0-203-88739-4(ebk)
To my Mother, Aysheh Marrar.
Everything I am, I owe to her.

Contents
Preface xii
List of abbreviations xvi
1 US foreign policy and the two-state solution 1
Introduction 1
Why two states? 2
Understanding foreign policy decision-making 4
EthniclobbyingandFPA 4
USforeignpolicyintheconflict 8
The continuingdebateonlobbying 11
Publicopinionandpolicymakers 15
Historical synopsis 19
Methods of inquiry 21
Overview 21
Opinion/perception 21
Pro-Arablobby 22
Pro-Israellobby 24
Conclusion 25
2 Public opinion and foreign policy perception 27
Introduction 27
The Cold War 29
Advancingthe“strategic relationship” 29
The Intifadayears 31
The Gulf crisis 34
Twooccupations 34
The taskahead 39
After the Cold War 41
The Clintonpeace 41
Clinton’sfailure,Bush’svictory 46
The global war on terrorism 47