More Charges of Anti-Semitism at Harvard
Stephen M. Walt, academic dean at the Kennedy School, and John J. Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago have co-authored an article in the London Review of Books that is stirring a furious debate. The article is called "
The Israel Lobby," and it argues that "the thrust of US policy in the [Middle East] derives almost entirely from domestic politics, and especially the activities of the 'Israel Lobby.'" According to the authors, "no lobby has managed to divert [US foreign policy] as far from what the national interest would suggest, while simultaneously convincing Americans that US interests and those of the other country—in this case, Israel—are essentially identical."
Well. Them's fightin' words. And people are, indeed, fighting about them.
Ever-vigilant in its watch for anti-Semitism, the
New York Sun editorializes that "
it's not too early to suggest that it's going to be hard for Mr. Walt to maintain his credibility as a dean. We don't see it as a matter of academic freedom but simply as a matter of necessary quality control."
Huh.
This is exactly the argument made by critics of Larry Summers following the women-in-science speech, at which point the right deemed the matter a question of academic freedom. But consistency, as they say, is the hobgoblin of little minds.
(The Sun has been going off on this subject, by the way—click here to see the four articles that the Sun has run on the Walt-Mearsheimer article.)
One critic of the article, predictably enough, is Alan Dershowitz, who has also charged that anti-Semitism was a factor in Larry Summers' ouster. Dershowitz compares the article to the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a reference that is being thrown around Harvard rather casually of late.
According to the Crimson, "Dershowitz said that he and his staff are preparing a response to the Walt and Mearsheimer article."
To which one can only say: "He and his staff"? Alan Dershowitz has a "staff"? I suppose this might explain
all those books.....
I haven't yet read the entire Mearsheimer-Walt article, but they certainly predicted the uproar that would follow its publication. "No discussion of the [Israel] Lobby would be complete without an examination of one of its most powerful weapons: the charge of anti-semitism. Anyone who criticizes Israel's actions or argues that pro-Israel groups have significant influence over US Middle Eastern policy...stands a good chance of being labelled an anti-semite."
Well, read the article and see for yourself. Meantime, this is the perfect opportunity for Larry Summers to use his bully pulpit to address the matter and calm troubled waters.
