false 2 115 98 true 5694199 read 1 true 4601640 currently-reading 16 true 4601639 to-read http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/53917511 to: The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy (Hardcover) by John J. Mearsheimer
‘The Israel Lobby and U.S Foreign Policy’ by John J. Mearsheimer (University of Chicago) and Stephen M. Walt (Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government).

The Israel/Palestine conflict is not playing out upon a rational stage; it's an unfolding human crises. Vanity, deceit and dehumanizing ideologies are sprinkling the layers of complex moral and ethical issues as well as the complexities of international law.

The concrete issues at hand between Israel and Palestine are simple and there is a clear solution (a two state solution), yet it has been swept into a complex storm of human tragedy with extreme ideologies derived from faith as opposed to reason. One peculiarity to this conflict, that has no simple explanation, is the U.S. involvement. Mearsheimer and Walt illustrate with numerous examples the reasons why the close U.S relationship with Israel is not only irrational with regards to U.S foreign interests, it is actually harmful and damages the reputation of the U.S. amongst the international community. Even though this book is challenging and insightful, I’m not sure if Mersheimer and Walt make a strong enough argument to suggest that the power of the Lobby is the sole factor or at least the most significant factor in driving the state of Israel forward at the cost of Palestinian human rights. It seems like an overly simple hypothesis if one were to rely on this as the sole factor or even the most significant. Furthermore it seems, to an extent, this hypothesis softens the actual real power the U.S surely has in determining its foreign policy objectives. In other words, I find it hard to believe that the Israel Lobby, or APEC in particular is directly responsible or powerful enough to truly shape U.S foreign policy in Israel (Why is it so hard for presidents to take a tough stance? We will listen carefully to the words of Obama). It seems other factors are being ommited that need mentioning. I did find it interesting that Mearsheimer and Walt really downplayed any factor concerning oil in the Middle East and U.S geo-political strategy for having Israel as a strong ally despite the fact that this relationship antagonizes relationships between U.S and other Arab states.

Mearsheimer and Walt loosely define amongst their numerous examples what can and cannot be defined as an Israeli Lobby group. One group who bears a huge part of the brunt is APEC. Mearsheimer and Walt go into detail to describe the unique influence this group exerts over U.S. foreign policy and U.S congress. Thus, the main objective of this book is to suggest the reasons that lie behind the uniquely strong relationship between the U.S. and Israel, and its hypothesis suggests that the remarkable efficiency and power of the Israeli groups who fit into the criteria of the Israeli lobby are the driving force of U.S foreign policy in Israel and effectively other countries throughout the middle east.

International law is founded upon (as best as we can achieve) rationally objective standpoints that make a great deal of sense ethically and morally. Thus, it’s frustrating to study international law in this sense given that history unfolds with immeasurable degrees of human follies and selfish desires; we bear witness to the suffering of those who have been let down by the international community despite the framework that exists to protect them. International politics is very much like a human machine fueled by emotion rather than objectivity and despite the efforts of international law to protect groups of people from the devastating consequence of irrational ideologies that cause human suffering, the human machine is all too powerful and full of pent up emotion and often international law is brushed aside.

Overall, his book was challenging and helped me think more deeply about the Israel-Palestine conflict and the involvement of the U.S.

Facts to consider:

- According to World Bank figures, unemployment in Palestine is now reaching 53% of the population.75% of Palestinians live in poverty (less than $2 a day)

- Around 4, 255, 120 Palestinians live in refugee camps. (The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) )

- The evacuation of settlers from Gaza constituted only 2% of the entire Israeli settler population. Each illegal settler was promised an estimated $227, 000 to relocate. A total cost of $2.2 Billion – an expense Israel has asked the U.S. to pay for. (Council on Foreign Relations www.cfr.org)

- Israel is the most extensive violator of UN Security Council Resolutions with the U.S. using its Veto power more than 40 times in the UN to defend Israeli violations of international law (Jewish Virtual Library).



- From September 2000 to February 2007: Palestinians killed by Israelis – 4, 009.
Israelis killed by Palestinians - 1, 021 More than 935 children were killed: 816 Palestinian, 119 Israeli.
((B’tselem) Israeli Human rights Group).


- Israeli Tanks: 3930 - Palestinian Tanks: 0
Israeli F -16 Jets: 362 (the largest fleet of any country in the world behind the U.S.) - Palestinian F – 16 Jets: 0 (Israeli weapons.com, GlobalSecurity.org).

Note: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has recently announced he will back a Palestinian State – but only if it completely demilitarized. Palestine must have no army, no control of its air space, and no way of importing weapons (What kind of ‘State’ would be foolish enough to accept these demands especially in light of Israel’s dogmatic military force. Essentially, these requirements deny the right of a Palestinian Statehood.
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8...)


]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/70513929 The Curse of Kim's Daughters (Paperback) by Park Kyong-Ni
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/70513912 Land (Paperback) by Park Kyong-Ni
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/53774634 to: 31 Songs (Paperback) by Nick Hornby
I love the idea of Nick Hornby’s ’31 Songs’. It’s simple, personal, and affecting - although some might say indulgent, yet Hornby’s style is too self effacing for his work to come across as trite.

‘31 songs’ reads like a musical anthology – a personal anthology (mostly consisting of pop songs)- in which Hornby launches into musings on where he was and where he was at during particular moments of his life. Hornby uses the songs as a tool for opening up the recess of his memory and delving into an understanding of what the song meant to him or how it was relevant in provoking certain thoughts or memories. I guess this is a sort of psycho analysis using the song as a tool to provoke memory (certain songs have the same effect on me, as well as certain smells).

I read the book too long ago to remember specifics, so I will just leave with noting that I really enjoyed this book. Hornby is an honest and personal writer, inviting the reader in to his world. I respect him for having the talent to share his many personal thoughts and ideas and present them in a friendly, interesting and affecting manner.
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/53773326 to: The Da Vinci Code (Robert Langdon, #2) by Dan Brown
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/58473743 to: Teacher Man: A Memoir (Paperback) by Frank McCourt
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/53788361 to: The Magus (Paperback) by John Fowles
In reference to the 1968 film adaptation of ‘The Magus’, Woody Allen famously said "If I had to live my life again, I'd do everything the same, except that I wouldn't see ‘The Magus’” I wonder how he felt about the book?

‘The Magus’ is set on a small Greek Island and follows the story of Nicholas Urfe, a twenty something British lad who heads to the island as an English teacher. Nicholas finds himself involved in a mysterious scandal and is lured into a deceitful seduction by flirtatious twins and the island’s reclusive millionaire, Maurice Conchis. At times, it seems Nicholas is hypnotized by these characters as he (along with the reader) is led down a maze of mysterious happenings which are never clearly explained. The ambiguity of Choncis and the psychological trickery he imposes on Nicholas is supposed to be part of the intrigue of ‘The Magus’, but given the reader is rendered just as clueless as Nicholas (Nicholas serving as the main protagonist and narrator within the story), my interest in the apparent scandal and mystery within this book was close to nil (I finished this book out of sheer stubbornness).

‘The Magus’ is written in a style which compliments the mysteriousness of the events throughout the story. The writing seems straightforward and clear, but it is actually deceptively tricky to follow. Fowels has employed a unique structure to the thoughts and sentences throughout this book, where main points are understated and reduced, making it quite easy to skim over without taking in the full significance of what has been said. I can appreciate the skill and intent of his style of writing, but given the convoluted and meandering mystery it was supporting, I felt the technique didn’t live up to its intention. Fowels really let me down as a reader; I found his style of writing very frustrating as his words and ideas never flowed nicely for me. Rather than adding a sense of intrigue to the mysterious happenings and the psychological maze felt by Nicholas, one got a sense that Fowels was playing games with the reader as well, which is fine, but ultimately, after 800 or so pages, I felt really ripped off. What was this really all about? I don’t really know, and furthermore, I don’t really care.

I’ll vouch with Woody Allen on this one by adding that the book also felt like a waste of time.
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/63673619 to: Puckoon (Paperback) by Spike Milligan
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/53788416 to: Boy / Going Solo (Paperback) by Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl is a masterful story teller – he spins a bloody good yarn. His memoirs ‘Boy’ and ‘Going Solo’ were absolutely captivating. It has been a long time, but I remember being immersed in them around the age of fifteen, a period in which I spent a regretfully minimal amount of time with books.

Given I read these books some time ago, the details have become vague, but they are the type of books I would return to at some point (memoirs being a favorite genre of mine). I recall the style of Dahl’s writing, which most people would be familiar with if they have spent any time with Roald Dahl and his numerous works. His writing runs free and is conversational in tone. He speaks to the reader honestly with a clear tone and precise direction. His conversation is somewhat informal as if he were a good friend. In fact, I recall reading these memoires and feeling awed by his adventures as if they were being told to me by a grandfather figure. On this note, I guess these books have been written for a younger audience, but I’m sure they will resonate just as poignantly for more mature readers - as good writing should.

‘Boy’ is Roald Dahl’s account of childhood. Growing up as a young British lad in Wales it spans his time from birth right up until his first job working for Royal Dutch Shell.
‘Going-Solo’ continues on from this point and takes us into Dahl’s war time adventures as a Royal Air Force Pilot fighting the Nazis, and venturing into countries such as Greece, the Middle East and Egypt. In both books, Dahl’s sense of observation is sharp and humorous, often making light of serious incidents. This lessened the gravity of material that other writers would dramatize until the cows came home, but Dahl’s lack of sentimentality and melodrama is a refreshing aspect to his writing; it doesn’t come across as simplistic - it strengthens the story at hand and sets a high quality to his style.

Roald Dahl is a writer I greatly admire. He is one of the first writers to have opened up my imagination and teach me the possibilities within a world of literature. Here he has narrated his life story into a highly condensed and fascinating account.

I will be sure to enjoy these books again at some point.
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