Despite a long history of interfering in elections, the United States often accuses other countries and organisations of precisely that, claiming foreign actors threaten what it refers to as its ‘democracy.’
This is even more ironic when examining the powerful lobbying efforts of groups like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which influences legislative outcomes in the US.
For six decades, AIPAC was an issue-based lobbying group. That changed in 2022 when AIPAC began funding congressional campaigns. Then, earlier this year, it announced it would spend $100 million to unseat anti-Zionist US politicians. AIPAC unleashed ads to influence 80 per cent of congressional races, resulting in 210 of the 362 AIPAC-backed pro-Israel members of Congress and candidates winning their respective seats in the 5 November elections.
With millions of dollars from wealthy donors, it has positioned itself as a significant player in US elections, targeting progressive candidates that oppose the US arming and funding Israel’s gen*cidal onslaught in Gaza, which has k*lled an estimated 186,000 Palestinians, according to the Lancet medical journal’s July figures.
AIPAC supports any candidate—Democrat or Republican—that supports Israel. According to news outlet Politico, ‘AIPAC is becoming an existential threat for progressives, who are bracing to be hit hardest.’ Earlier this year, AIPAC’s targeted ads helped defeat congresspeople like Cori Bush and Jamaal Bowman in their primary elections. According to the Intercept, after each of its preferred candidates won this year, AIPAC would post on X: ‘Being pro-Israel is good policy and good politics!’
Over the years, some have referred to Israel as the ’51st state.’ In 1982, a former US Secretary of State Alexander Haig (1924-2010) called Israel ‘the largest American aircraft carrier in the world that cannot be sunk, does not carry even one American soldier, and is located in a critical region for American national security.’
Considering how well Israel’s interests are represented—and protected— in the US, let us know in the comments why you think AIPAC’s influence is widely welcomed within US administrations. Why has it not met the same level of scrutiny directed towards other actors working in the interest of a foreign state?
Sources:
https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/does-united-states-still-interfere-in-foreign-elections-by-jack-goldsmith-2020-10
https://x.com/aipac/status/1853977336305074384?s=46
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/03/aipac-israel-spending-democratic-primaries-00144552
https://www.commondreams.org/news/aipac-100-million
https://embassies.gov.il/washington/Obama_in_Israel/Pages/The-Ultimate-Ally.aspx
https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinese-state-media-giant-cgtn-registers-as-foreign-agent-in-u-s-11549387532
https://www.instagram.com/aipac/p/DCBGFy0MUtD