Foreign Policy and Ethnic Interest Groups: American and Canadian Jews Lobby for Israel

(Hardback)

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The 1980s have witnessed increased concern over the impact of ethnic interest groups on foreign policy, particularly in the case of Jewish lobbying efforts on behalf of the state of Israel. In this study, Professor Goldberg presents a comparison of American and Canadian Jewish lobbying over the past 15 years, offering a careful assessment of their influence on foreign policy decisions affecting the Middle East. Professor Goldberg focuses primarily on the two most prominent Jewish foreign policy interest groups: the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and the Canada-Israel Committee (CIC). He examines the response of these organizations to a series of crisis issues, beginning with the Arab-Israeli war of 1973 and including the current Palestinian uprising. Using a set of analytical criteria, he correlates their responses with the conduct of U.S. and Canadian foreign policy during the same period. His analysis shows how the variable successes and failures of the two interest groups have been influenced both by differences in the political systems in which they operate and their own internal political and organizational characteristics. In addition to presenting significant new information on the Israel lobby, this analysis provides a groundwork for future studies of ethnic foreign policy interest groups operating in varying political systems and cultures. This volume is a valuable resource for the Jewish community as well as scholars and professionals in Middle East studies, ethnic studies, foreign policy, and related fields.

Reviews

For students of contemporary Canadian foreign policy David Goldberg's Foreign Policy and Ethnic Interest Groups: American and Canadian Jew Lobby for Israel is a welcome and informative addition to a limited if growing literature on Canada's approaches to the Middle East.-SHOFAR
This scholarly monograph compares the relative effectiveness of two pro-Israel lobbies: the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and the Canada-Israel Committee. Employing the rich secondary literature, especially for the US, and interviews with key lobbyists and government officials, Goldberg examines the relationship between the ethnic interest groups' policies and those of their governments on major Israel-related issues from the Yom Kippur War to the intifada. Using a fairly rigorous case-study method, he identifies organizational, structural, and environmental factors that explain the differences between the two groups. Of special interest is the author's analysis of the difficulties that such lobbies encounter in a parliamentary system. He concludes that, especially since the 1980s, the US lobby has been more successful than its Canadian counterpart although not nearly as successful as its opponents have suggested. Graduate collections.-Choice
"For students of contemporary Canadian foreign policy David Goldberg's Foreign Policy and Ethnic Interest Groups: American and Canadian Jew Lobby for Israel is a welcome and informative addition to a limited if growing literature on Canada's approaches to the Middle East."-SHOFAR
"This scholarly monograph compares the relative effectiveness of two pro-Israel lobbies: the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and the Canada-Israel Committee. Employing the rich secondary literature, especially for the US, and interviews with key lobbyists and government officials, Goldberg examines the relationship between the ethnic interest groups' policies and those of their governments on major Israel-related issues from the Yom Kippur War to the intifada. Using a fairly rigorous case-study method, he identifies organizational, structural, and environmental factors that explain the differences between the two groups. Of special interest is the author's analysis of the difficulties that such lobbies encounter in a parliamentary system. He concludes that, especially since the 1980s, the US lobby has been more successful than its Canadian counterpart although not nearly as successful as its opponents have suggested. Graduate collections."-Choice

Author Bio

DAVID HOWARD GOLDBERG is National Executive Director, Canadian Professors for Peace in the Middle East. He coedited and contributed several chapters to The Domestic Battleground: Canada and the Arab-Israeli Conflict and he is the publisher of Middle East Focus.