Professors Mearsheimer and Walt at The City Club of Cleveland

CLEVELAND: John J. Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago and Stephen M. Walt of Harvard University will speak about their newly published book The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy at noon on Wednesday, September 26, 2007, at The City Club of Cleveland.

In the March 2006 issue of the London Review of Books, Mearsheimer and Walt published “The Israel Lobby,” an article that challenged a taboo issue in U.S.-America: the impact of the Israel lobby on U.S. foreign policy. The article provoked both indignation and cheers of agreement.

In The Israel Lobby, Mearsheimer and Walt expand their argument and confront recent developments in Lebanon and Iran. They describe the level of material and diplomatic support that the U.S. provides to Israel and argue that this support cannot be fully explained on either strategic or moral grounds. They contend that the lobby has a far-reaching impact on U.S.-America’s posture throughout the Middle East and the policies it has encouraged are in neither U.S.-America’s national interest nor Israel’s long-term interest.

Mearsheimer is the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science and the co-director of the Program on International Security Policy at the University of Chicago. He has published several books, including The Tragedy of Great Power Politics.

Walt is the Belfer Professor of International Affairs at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and was academic dean of the Kennedy School from 2002 to 2006. He is also the author of Taming American Power: The Global Response to U.S. Primacy.

This special program is organized by The City Club New Leaders. New Leaders develop significant opportunities for civic involvement and freedom of speech among young professionals under the age of 40.

Tickets for this City Club Special Program are $15 for members and $25 for non-members. Lunch is included. Reservations are required at least 24 hours in advance of the event. They can be purchased by calling The City Club at 216.621.0082 or visiting the website at www.cityclub.org.