Congress and the Shaping of the Middle East

How does one explain US Middle East policy? When Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer wrote their bestselling book  The Israel Lobby , they attributed our pro-Israel policy to the power of the lobby itself. Others have criticized this approach as overly simplistic. Longtime Middle East watcher Professor Kirk Beattie provides a profound assessment of Congress’s role by examining the vetting of congressional candidates, campaign financing, congressional staffing, bipartisan allian