Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In the latest episode of Always at War, Courtney and Alex sit down with Eli Clifton and Ian Lustick — authors of the new book Israel's Lobby: America in the Grip of a Foreign Power — to understand how a concentrated network of pro-Israel donors and organizations became the most formidable special interest in Washington, and how it helped push the United States toward war with Iran.
BUY THE BOOK: bookshop.org/p/books/israel-s-lobby-america-in-the-grip-of-a-foreign-power-eli-clifton/16ed5a856e6a2af0?ean=9781668210840&affiliate=95814
Together, they trace the seismic changes since Mearsheimer and Walt's landmark 2006 book, including the emergence of a more complex, multipolar world which gives presidents little structural cover to resist lobby pressure, Citizens United, which opened the door to massive outside spending by a tiny group of plutocrats, and an Israeli government that has moved steadily further right.
Eli and Ian walk through how the lobby has evolved from defending Israeli policies to suppressing American dissent: suing universities into submission, pushing to deport green card holders who criticize Israel, and enlisting the Trump administration to enforce its agenda.
When Secretary of State Marco Rubio justified the needless and costly Iran War by saying the US "identified that the Israelis were gonna do it... so we figured we had to do it" — that's the lobby's vision of American foreign policy made plain.
Buy Israel's Lobby: America in the Grip of a Foreign Power: bookshop.org/p/books/israel-s-lobby-america-in-the-grip-of-a-foreign-power-eli-clifton/16ed5a856e6a2af0?ean=9781668210840&affiliate=95814
Track pro-Israel super PAC spending in real time: israelslobby.com
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Why is America always at war? Join the Quincy Institute’s Courtney Rawlings and Alex Jordan as they expose the monied interests, outdated ideologies, and entrenched powers that have driven the U.S. to wage nearly 400 wars and interventions.
They’ll be joined by journalists, advocates, and experts to uncover who profits from America’s endless conflicts, and to imagine how we can build a better, more peaceful U.S. foreign policy.
Learn more about the Quincy Institute: quincyinst.org
Contact the show: alwaysatwar@quincyinst.org
Show art by Justin Hantz
###
Quincy Institute is an independent, nonprofit think tank.
Help fund our research: quincyinst.org/donations
Read our reporting: ResponsibleStatecraft.org
Twitter: https://x.com/QuincyInst
TikTok: tiktok.com/quincyinst
Facebook: facebook.com/quincyinst
Instagram: instagram.com//quincyinst
Website: quincyinst.org
In the latest episode of Always at War, Courtney and Alex sit down with Eli Clifton and Ian Lustick — authors of the new book Israel's Lobby: America in the Grip of a Foreign Power — to understand how a concentrated network of pro-Israel donors and organizations became the most formidable special interest in Washington, and how it helped push the United States toward war with Iran.
BUY THE BOOK: bookshop.org/p/books/israel-s-lobby-america-in-the-grip-of-a-foreign-power-eli-clifton/16ed5a856e6a2af0?ean=9781668210840&affiliate=95814
Together, they trace the seismic changes since Mearsheimer and Walt's landmark 2006 book, including the emergence of a more complex, multipolar world which gives presidents little structural cover to resist lobby pressure, Citizens United, which opened the door to massive outside spending by a tiny group of plutocrats, and an Israeli government that has moved steadily further right.
Eli and Ian walk through how the lobby has evolved from defending Israeli policies to suppressing American dissent: suing universities into submission, pushing to deport green card holders who criticize Israel, and enlisting the Trump administration to enforce its agenda.
When Secretary of State Marco Rubio justified the needless and costly Iran War by saying the US "identified that the Israelis were gonna do it... so we figured we had to do it" — that's the lobby's vision of American foreign policy made plain.
Buy Israel's Lobby: America in the Grip of a Foreign Power: bookshop.org/p/books/israel-s-lobby-america-in-the-grip-of-a-foreign-power-eli-clifton/16ed5a856e6a2af0?ean=9781668210840&affiliate=95814
Track pro-Israel super PAC spending in real time: israelslobby.com
###
Why is America always at war? Join the Quincy Institute’s Courtney Rawlings and Alex Jordan as they expose the monied interests, outdated ideologies, and entrenched powers that have driven the U.S. to wage nearly 400 wars and interventions.
They’ll be joined by journalists, advocates, and experts to uncover who profits from America’s endless conflicts, and to imagine how we can build a better, more peaceful U.S. foreign policy.
Learn more about the Quincy Institute: quincyinst.org
Contact the show: alwaysatwar@quincyinst.org
Show art by Justin Hantz
###
Quincy Institute is an independent, nonprofit think tank.
Help fund our research: quincyinst.org/donations
Read our reporting: ResponsibleStatecraft.org
Twitter: https://x.com/QuincyInst
TikTok: tiktok.com/quincyinst
Facebook: facebook.com/quincyinst
Instagram: instagram.com//quincyinst
Website: quincyinst.org
