The Israel Lobby and the Iran War w/ Ian Lustick and Eli Clifton

Recorded 3-18-26

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On this edition of Parallax Views, I’m joined by journalist Eli Clifton and political scientist Ian S. Lustick to discuss their provocative The Nation article, “The Israeli Tail Wags the American Dog,” as well as their forthcoming book Israel’s Lobby: America in the Grip of a Foreign Power. We examine their central argument that recent U.S. policy—particularly the Trump administration’s war with Iran—cannot be fully understood through traditional national interest frameworks but instead reflects the outsized influence of Israel’s government and its allies within the United States. The conversation explores how Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has historically sought to shape U.S. Middle East policy, including his role in advocating for the Iraq War and the current war with Iran.

We also delve into Lustick’s intellectual evolution on Israel-Palestine and the lobby question, offering a reflective opening to the discussion, before turning to key case studies like the Steven Rosen espionage affair and the broader ecosystem of lobbying, campaign finance, and elite influence networks. Clifton, known for his investigative work on money in politics and foreign policy, helps unpack how these forces operate in practice. Additionally, we address the role of Christian Zionism, discussing the Israel lobby without falling into antisemitism, and how this new book builds upon—and updates—the arguments made in The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy by Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer. All that and more in this wide-ranging conversation about power, influence, and the future of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.