John Mearsheimer on Obama versus Netanyahu

This is a short interview of John Mearsheimer commenting on the recent U.S.-Israel flap. His points are familiar, but it’s great to see his brutally frank comments on the power of the Israel Lobby in suppressing discussion of the issues and on spineless American politicians who fail to protect U.S. national interests.

As in the past, Mearsheimer takes the view that Israel is hurting its own interests by pursuing the West Bank settlement project and resisting a two-state solution. I am not convinced of this (see here, p. 49ff), but, as Mearsheimer notes,  it is certainly true that Israel is increasingly isolated in the world. In any case, armed to the teeth, politically dominated by messianic fanatics who would engage in a civil war if there was any meaningful pullback, and supported to the hilt by a very wealthy and powerful Diaspora community, Israel is not going to change its current direction. Indeed, they may well have the military power to annex most of the West Bank  with impunity — as I think likely if the Palestinians succeed in getting a UN resolution declaring it a state.