Jewish Interest Groups And U.s. Middle East Foreign Policy (1967-1984)

The Middle East has become one of the key areas in the diplomacy of the United States since World War II. As we all know, its important strategic status and rich oil resources are the primary attractions for the United States' involvement. But the promotion of the Jewish Interest Groups should not be ignored.By the end of 1970s, though several decades 'development and renovation, the Jewish Interest Groups had become one of the most influential political groups in America . The core interest of the Jewish Interest Groups is to protect the rights and interests of the Jews in American and other areas of the world .In Middle East, they pursue improving the living conditions of Jews of that area and safeguarding the survival of Israel, which is the only Jewish country in the world, so that it can resist the siege of other Arabic countries. They lobby the policy-making officers in American government ambitiously and press them to make arrangements that are in favor of Israel. American Middle East policy is the struggling results of the double -edged diplomacy between internal and international interests.In what degree have the Jewish Interest Groups affected American Middle East policy? This is a conflicting topic in academic research, but it is very interesting and useful .If we can get a correct conclusion, we can understand the interest group theory and its influence on American foreign policy-making deeply. What's more, it can give us a satisfy answer to the question that why American 's Middle East policy are complex. Through an overall introduction and reflection on interest group theory and double-edged diplomacy theory, my dissertation focuses on the analysis of the history, resources and lobby skills of the Jewish Interest Groups. Then, I select the period from 1967 to 1984 to research how Jewish interest group involving in the Middle East foreign policy-making.After a constructivist analysis and explanation on Jewish Interest Groups and its influence on American Middle East Policy, this paper comes to the following conclusions.The Jewish Interest Groups, which members are predominantly American Jews, are pro-Israel interest groups. Their existence is due to the integration of Jewish history and the special political culture in the United States. For the reason of history, culture and religions, the Jewish Interest Groups consider protecting the survival of Israel as their most holy mission. American Jews have amazing self-motivating spirits, high passion of participating in political games and affluent economical accumulation.All of these comprise the power of the Jewish Interest Groups. Whether judging from structure of the organization of the groups or from the lobbying skills, the Jewish Interest Groups have done an excellent job. They have affected the policy-making progress of American Middle East policy very successfully.American Middle East policy is the product of the double -edged diplomacy between internal and international interests. The primarily way that Jewish Interest Groups affecting Middle East policy-making is trying to change the balance of power in order to get the win-sets that are favorable to the Middle East Jews and Israel. Mobilizing the mass and lobbying those political factors such as the Congress, White House, Court etc, that affecting American foreign policy making are their usual strategies. Jewish Interest Groups can use their high political skill to forming a quite strong compounding political power. For that reason, American Middle East Policy are always pro-Israel is not strange.I do not agree the conclusion that the Jewish Interest Groups control American Middle East policy-making process. I think it exaggerates. After reviewing the history of American Middle East policy, I find that although the interests of Jewish Interest Groups and America are mixed, they are not the same .The size of the interests of the former is quite narrower than that of the later. American Middle East policy is one part of American global diplomacy strategy. Winning moderate Arabic countries, transforming those stubborn anti-America Arabic regimes, making the whole Middle East under America control are the fundamental interest of America in Middle East.The most outstanding achievements of Jewish Interest Groups are putting the safety of Israel in front of Americans with their flexible lobby strategies and overwhelming mobilizing ability. Paying attention to and caring about Israel becomes the core of American Middle East policy. Whenever American policy- makers make any decision on the Middle East, they never forget to make commitment on protecting Israel. Due to efficient lobby activities of the Jewish Interest Groups, The United States and Israel has established good bilateral relations since Israel was born. Every administrations of America keep on the commitment on the survival of Israel. However, this commitment has caused the absence of flexibility in American Middle East policy making, the stubborn standpoint of Israel government always deters the progress of the Middle East peace making progress.This dissertation has about one hundred forty thousand Chinese words. It is composed of five chapters, the main ideas of which go like the following:Chapter One is the politics of interest group theory and American foreign policy. In the first two sections of this chapter, two of the famous interest group theories and one interesting international theory, double-edged diplomacy, are introduced. Then, through analyzing the role that interest group in the double-edged diplomacy, it set up the theory framework for the analysis of how interest groups affecting American foreign policy. In order to explain the connections between interest group theory and double-edged diplomacy, the paper explains the how interest groups affect the Congress, the White House, the Court, the mass media and the grass roots respectively and get some very useful win-sets that are beneficial to themselves.Chapter Two is the history and status quo of the Jewish Interest Groups. In the first place, it identifies the Jewish Interest Groups. Then demonstrates the history and the development of the Jewish Interest Groups. In the last part of this chapter, the paper emphasizes on the resources of the Jewish Interest Groups, which are the foundation and basis of its energy, power and political life.Chapter Three is the Jewish Interest Groups and American Middle East policy. After reviewing briefly the history of American Middle East diplomacy froml967 to 1980, the paper compares the interests of America, Israel and the Jewish Interest Groups. It concludes that although the triple interests are mixed, the difference among them can't be ignored. If the Jewish Interest Groups want to enhance their influence, they 'd better take advantage of the common interests of the triple parts. In the third and forth sections of this chapter, the paper analyzes the areas, conditions, departments and lobby strategies of the Jewish Interest Groups, It finds if the double-edged diplomacy is simply struggled between the United States and Israel, a satisfy arrangement can easily come into being, both Israel and the Jewish Interest Groups can always get what they want, such as bountiful foreign aids in Israel economy and army. If the pursuit of interests goes besides Israel, and including other Middle East countries, it will become an intensive struggle, and full of conflicts. As to which department can the Jewish Interest Groups affecting the policy making efficiently? The paper gets the conclusion that the Congress is the department that it can involve in most successfully. Comparing to other interest groups, the key factor that making the Jewish Interest Groups influential is its virtuosity skills.If the main task of the former three chapters is to generalize the relations between the Jewish Interest Groups and American Middle East policy. The Later two chapters are to proof the above comprehensively with the special cases, such as the...