Realist foreign policy is premised on the idea that states always act in their own interest, as defined by the rational calculation of external threats from rival states. To scholars and practitioners of the realist school, America鈥檚 support for Israel is irrational, for in the support of the Jewish State realists see no benefit to American interest. Some have concluded that a small and influential political lobby is to blame for America鈥檚 support for Israel. In this video, Walter Russell Mead revisits his 2008 essay 鈥淭he New Israel and the Old,鈥� which argued that America is pro-Israel because Americans鈥攑articularly non-Jewish Americans in the heartland鈥攁re pro-Israel.
As a part of Tikvah鈥檚 advanced institute, 鈥淚s Israel Alone?: The Past, Present, and Future of the U.S.-Israel Relationship鈥� Walter Russell Mead and 华体会 Senior Fellow Michael Doran examine the false assumptions of so-called realists and explore the popular convictions that are the true foundation of America鈥檚 historic support for Israel.