It’s all about the money? - The influence of the Israel lobby on American foreign policy making.

Abstract: In recent years the importance of lobby organizations in the American foreign policy making has increased. One organization that has gained significant influence is the Israel lobby. In this study I present the actors involved in the making of American foreign policy, the relationship America has with Israel and the strategies used by the Israel lobby to gain their influence. I use liberalism to demonstrate how the decisions made in the American Congress have consequences for the rest of the world and, in this discussion, primarily for Israel. I find that the lobby has gained their influence through the funding of Congressional and Presidential election campaigns. Since the system of funding leaves loopholes the donations can reach large sums of money which makes it difficult for other candidates to win. I also find that if a candidate wishes to receive that funding they have to condemn critique aimed at Israel. If a candidate or legislator instead is one of the critics they risk being labelled an anti-Semite. This way the lobby keeps the critique to a minimum. However, I find that these strategies are not exclusive to the Israel lobby but are used by other interest groups as well.