This book looks at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s origins, foundations, and organizational structure. Isaiah “Si” Kenen, AIPAC’s founder and long-time leader, created what can be described as the organization’s three-dimensional inverted pyramid, giving it far-reaching influence and impact. Following Kenen’s work through AIPAC’s inception and reaching into the mid-1970s, the book looks at key moments and decisions in the years under Kenen’s leadership. These decisions helped a small lobby with minimal manpower and resources become a well-established network of organizations, individuals, and communities spanning the entire United States and advancing American relations with Israel. From Israeli and American archival materials and protocols, interviews, news articles, and academic papers, the book analyzes Kenen’s decisions and AIPAC’s structure. Using the lens and language of management and human resources, the author sheds new light on the topic in this adaptation of his Thesis dissertation. The dissertation was awarded top honors on the Dean’s List for 2020.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a multi-dimensional conflict with numerous forces working collectively from international structure, regional structure and domestic structure. This book aims to offer a comprehensive reading on the AIPAC, the U.S. Middle East Policy, Israel, structural fault lines, and creation of the Palestinian state. The book touches on specific aspects, such as; • The macro dimension of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. • U.S.-Israel Special Relationship (1948-2019). • The American Jewry. • The AIPAC and its modus operandi in U.S. • The U.S. Middle East Policy. • Future of the Palestinian State in the Middle East. AIPAC is the strongest American-Jewish lobby in the United States. Many critics argue that AIPAC able to influence the U.S. Middle East policy, thus jeopardizes the U.S. national interest. For many decades, intangible factor, the soft power of American Jewry has been serving the national interest of Israel. American domestic structure is embedded within liberal democratic values, enable the American Jewish lobbies to operate successfully. This phenomena attracted attention of many scholars, such as; Samuel P. Huntington and George F. Kennan, Tony Smith, David Truman, John J. Mearsheimer, and Stephen M. Walt to produce valuable literatures. John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt assert that the AIPAC is dangerous to U.S. national interest. AIPAC plays an important role in preserving the U.S.-Israel “special relationship” in the American soil through lobbying strategy. A triangular pattern of relationships prevail between AIPAC, Israel and the U.S. Middle East policy. AIPAC serves to preserve the “special relationship” between Israel and U.S. in periods of peace and turmoil. Some critics say AIPAC projects dual nationalism in their modus operandi. AIPAC represents the loyal American Jews who wish to see the United States of America remains strong and powerful in international system. At the same time, AIPAC loves and supports Israel as the Jewish national home. AIPAC aims to see Israel secured and able to survive in the volatile Middle East region. Apparently AIPAC has certain level of influence over the US Middle East policy in creation of the Palestinian state. AIPAC ensures creation of the Palestinian state is safe to Israel’s national interest and national security. AIPAC often tries to direct the U.S. Middle East policy towards other contagious issues in the region to divert U.S. attention in the Palestinian peace process. Success and failure in AIPAC’s lobby depend on U.S. national interest in the region. AIPAC never possess insurmountable power to influence the US Middle East policy. AIPAC able to influence the U.S. Middle East policy when there is a convergence factor with the U.S. national interest. The prime force in the U.S. Middle East policy is undoubtedly the U.S. national interest. Followed by Israel’s security, security and stability of the Middle East. However, AIPAC as an instrument of policy should not be excluded from the study on the Palestinian state.

How does one explain US Middle East policy? When Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer wrote their bestselling book The Israel Lobby, they attributed our pro-Israel policy to the power of the lobby itself. Others have criticized this approach as overly simplistic. Longtime Middle East watcher Professor Kirk Beattie provides a profound assessment of Congress’s role by examining the vetting of congressional candidates, campaign financing, congressional staffing, bipartisan alliances within the Senate and the House, and the agenda-driven allocation of foreign aid and policymaking. He addresses the many internal and external pressures that impact such processes. His findings, based on roughly two hundred interviews with congressional staffers, lobbyists, members of Congress, and foreign embassy officials across years of research, untangle the issue to show us how Congress really works.

The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published daily when Congress is in session. The Congressional Record began publication in 1873. Debates for sessions prior to 1873 are recorded in The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States (1789-1824), the Register of Debates in Congress (1824-1837), and the Congressional Globe (1833-1873)

Originally published in 2007, The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, by John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago and Stephen M. Walt of Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, provoked both howls of outrage and cheers of gratitude for challenging what had been a taboo issue in America: the impact of the Israel lobby on U.S. foreign policy. A work of major importance, it remains as relevant today as it was in the immediate aftermath of the Israel-Lebanon war of 2006. Mearsheimer and Walt describe in clear and bold terms the remarkable level of material and diplomatic support that the United States provides to Israel and argues that this support cannot be fully explained on either strategic or moral grounds. This exceptional relationship is due largely to the political influence of a loose coalition of individuals and organizations that actively work to shape U.S. foreign policy in a pro-Israel direction. They provocatively contend that the lobby has a far-reaching impact on America's posture throughout the Middle East―in Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, and toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict―and the policies it has encouraged are in neither America's national interest nor Israel's long-term interest. The lobby's influence also affects America's relationship with important allies and increases dangers that all states face from global jihadist terror. The publication of The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy led to a sea change in how the U.S-Israel relationship was discussed, and continues to be one of the most talked-about books in foreign policy.

With their homelands at war, can Diasporas lead the way to peace, or do they present an obstacle to conflict resolution, nurturing hate far away from those who actually fall victim to violence? And which of these roles do the Jewish and Palestinian diaspora communities play in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? Particularly since the Oslo peace process, the search for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been strongly contested among Jewish and Arab/Palestinian Organizations in the United States. Through an analysis of the activities of Arab-Palestinian and Jewish organizations on behalf of and towards their conflict-ridden homelands, Diasporic Activism in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict provides both a detailed picture of diasporic activism in the Middle East as well as advancing theory-building on the roles of diasporas in helping or hindering peace. Drawing on research into (transnational) social movements, diaspora studies and constructivist International Relations theory, this book retraces how this process of diversification occurred, and explains why neither the Jewish nor the Arab Diaspora community hold a unified position in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but are each comprised of both hawks and doves. Combining theoretical depth and practical orientation, this book is a key resource for those working in the fields of Middle Eastern studies, Peace and Conflict Studies and Diapora Studies, as well as specialists on the ground in Israel/Palestine and other conflict settings in which Diaspora communities play a prominent role.

The Israel lobby exerts incredible power and influence over America. Some identify only one organization, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), as "the lobby" citing its influence on Capitol Hill. This is wrong. Many interconnected organizations channel their power and influence through AIPAC in Congress. Hundreds more "mini-AIPAC's" coordinate with AIPAC and their own national office to lobby state legislatures to pass model legislation and spending authorizations benefiting Israel-without publicly disclosing most of their lobbying activities. Others operate quietly, policing what is allowed to appear in mainstream news media and channeling "hush money" to civil rights organizations to keep them out of grassroots pro-Palestinian movements. Coordinated, effective and highly averse to public scrutiny, the Israel Affinity Organizations that make up the lobby have transformed America. While some informed voters know the U.S. provides more foreign aid to Israel than any other country, the total flow of charitable, tax dollar, military aid, intelligence and "opportunity cost" are unknown to those footing the bill-and the lobby is determined to keep it that way. Yet storm clouds are gathering over Israel's lobby. Public opinion polls asking the right questions indicate Americans are nowhere near as approving of unconditional support as many Israel lobbyists insist. Most American Jews have nothing to do with Israel lobbying organizations. More important, broad and deep societal changes, along with the technology-driven rise of alternative and social media, are transforming large numbers of Americans from mostly unaware supporters into informed and active dissenters. Big Israel is a comprehensive, historical, data-driven analysis of how the Israel lobby exerts influence across the United States. Based on a detailed review of more than 4,000 nonprofit organization tax returns, declassified U.S. government files and closely-held internal reports from Israel lobby organizations, Big Israel reveals how staid, respectable and bona fide social welfare organizations transformed themselves into a networked lobby for a foreign country-inflicting immense damage on average Americans. Big Israel offers many surprising insights into the Israel lobby's strengths and weaknesses so that Americans working for peace and justice in Middle East policymaking can finally turn down the rolling thunder of propaganda and take effective action.

While critics claim that a nefarious Israel Lobby dictates U.S. policy in the Middle East, the Arab Lobby in this country is older, richer, and more powerful than the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). The Arab Lobby is the first book in more than 25 years to investigate the scope and activities of this diffuse yet powerful network. Author Mitchell Bard courageously explores the invisible alliance that threatens Israel and undermines America’s interests in the Middle East.

Studies the impact of lobbying efforts by domestic ethnic groups and foreign governments on US policymaking. Congress and Diaspora Politics examines the impact of lobbying efforts by domestic ethnic groups and foreign governments on US policymaking. Over time, the number and variety of ethnic groups have grown, and foreign governments have increasingly turned to professional lobbyists rather than relying on their diplomatic corps to cultivate relationships with Congress. The case studies presented here examine this new lobbying environment by focusing on Jewish American, Muslim American, and Cuban American interest groups as well as lobbying efforts by the governments of Turkey, Armenia, Mexico, and others. They explore the strategies, tactics, and resources utilized to impact policymaking. The volume also offers perspectives of those who have worked on both sides of the lobbying equation—“a view from K Street” (the lobbying side) and “a view from the Hill” (the congressional side). Finally, challenges lawmakers face when diaspora interests intersect with national interests are covered. “Informative and insightful, this book makes an important contribution by bringing together, for the first time, the impact of both ethnic and foreign lobbying on US foreign and domestic policy.” — Thomas Ambrosio, North Dakota State University