Walt and Mearsheimer spoke at Politics and Prose in Washington on September 5; C-Span aired the event tonight, over a month later. A pity the network should wait so long, on such a newsworthy event.
The authors surprised me only in their fluidity. They seemed confident and calm. But they had the house behind them. This was the true revelation of the event. It appeared that about 2/3 or more of the audience was supportive of the authors. They cheered criticism of the Iraq and Lebanon wars, they cheered the authors’ sharp attacks on the Israeli occupation and on suppression of free speech about the occupation in the States.
All but three or four in the long line of questioners were sympathetic. And most were well-informed. The questions came from peacenik types, Arabs, professorial types, people with foreign accents. Young hipsters. They knew about cluster bombs and Foreign Minister Bevin and the state of historical scholarship. By contrast, the pro-Israel lobby side seemed undermanned and a little intimidated. These critics didn’t go after Walt and Mearsheimer hammer and tongs, as if they sensed, this crowd is hostile, better scream about it later, outside.
It struck me that the media may ignore this book or deride it all they please, but Walt and Mearsheimer are really tapping into widespread popular dissatisfaction with our policy toward Israel. You sensed a hunger for information and for a forum in that sophisticated crowd. You felt the explosion of suppressed views, and joy that such things might be said. In that sense, it was a tremendously exciting night; for it suggests that Americans from many different walks of life wish to change our foreign policy, and do so in an intelligent manner.
