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DISCOVER THE ARAB LOBBY "NETWORK"

by John Perazzo

  

As Western civilization faces the threat of a radical Islamic foe that seeks to annihilate it, the collective self-assurance of the Western psyche continues to wither under the relentless, low-grade assault of the political Left. This assault presents itself in the form of constant criticism aimed at America's allegedly vast array of societal defects -- with the intent of expunging every last shred of self-respect from the Western mind and heart, and of thereby convincing Western man that his irredeemably sinful culture is unworthy of his defense. The key operatives in this assault are leftwing organizations describing themselves as defenders of such righteous-sounding ideals as "civil liberties," "human rights," "peace," and "social justice." Allied with them is a growing cabal of pro-Arab, anti-Israel groups that, both jointly and independently, characterize the U.S. and Israel in particular as nations that routinely inflict immense suffering on Arab populations all over the world. By portraying Arabs as victims of American and Israeli transgressions, these groups aim -- through their press releases, official statements, publications, and direct actions -- to shape public opinion regarding such issues as the war on terror and the Arab-Israeli conflict.

While focusing on Arab concerns, by no means is this lobby composed exclusively of Arabs. The lobby is defined by its ideology, not the ethnicity of its active constituents. And that ideology tends to be, as noted above, pro-Arab on the one hand, anti-Israel on the other.

To be sure, the Arab lobby does not speak for all Arab Americans. According to the Arab American Institute,[1] there are approximately 3.5 million people[2] of Arab heritage in the U.S. today, about half of them concentrated in five states -- California, Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, and New York. Nearly 40 percent of these Arab Americans are Lebanese, mostly Christians, who are largely unsympathetic to the Arab lobby's anti-Israel perspectives. By contrast, only about 70,000[3] Palestinian Americans reside in the United States -- a small percentage of the Arab American population. But because of their high level of political activism,[4] their views and concerns have received hugely disproportionate attention from political leaders and the media alike. Indeed, the Palestinian cause heads the Arab lobby's list of concerns.

In an effort to expose the agendas and tactics of the Arab lobby, DiscoverTheNetworks.org[5] has added a new "Arab Lobby"[6] section to its ever-expanding database. This section profiles not only those pro-Arab organizations and individuals (both in the U.S. and abroad) that lobby to affect specific legislation, but also those that engage in what might be defined, more precisely, as advocacy on behalf of Arab interests anywhere in the world. (There is technically a distinction between advocacy and lobbying. Advocacy is a broader term, connoting efforts to influence some aspect of society, be it individual behavior, public opinion, public policy, or legislation passed by elected government officials. Lobbying can be described as a subset of advocacy, referring specifically to efforts to convince legislators to vote in a certain way.)

The roots of the Arab lobby in America can be traced back to 1951, when King Saud of Saudi Arabia asked[7] U.S. diplomats to finance a pro-Arab lobby to serve as a counterweight to the American Zionist Committee for Public Affairs (later renamed the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC).

While the pace of the Arab lobby's growth was initially slow, there were nonetheless signs of increased assertiveness. After the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, for example, the Arabian American Oil Company (ARAMCO) set up a fund to present[8] the Arab perspective on the conflict. In May 1970, ARAMCO representatives warned[9] Assistant Secretary of State Joseph Sisco that American military sales to Israel would harm U.S.-Arab relations and jeopardize American oil supplies.

Driven by oil revenues, the Arab lobby's leverage in affecting American policy was demonstrated in early 1973 when Mobil published a pro-Arab advertorial[10] in The New York Times. In July of that year, the chairman of Standard Oil of California (now called Chevron) distributed a letter[11] asking the company's 40,000 employees and 262,000 stockholders to pressure their elected representatives to support "the aspirations of the Arab people." In a similar spirit, the chairman of Texaco urged[12] the U.S. to reassess its Middle East policy.

When another Arab-Israeli war broke out in October 1973, the chairmen of the ARAMCO partners issued a memorandum[13] warning the White House against increasing its military aid to Israel. Shortly thereafter, the OPEC oil embargo (enacted in retribution for Western support of Israel) ushered in an era where the Arab lobby became much more prominent and visible than ever before. "The day of the Arab-American is here," declared[14] National Association of Arab Americans founder Richard Shadyac. "The reason is oil." Prior to October 1973 the price of oil had stood at $2.60 per barrel; within three months the price quadrupled to about $12 per barrel. Since then, it has risen to more than $60 -- for a commodity whose production costs are, at present, only $1.50 per barrel.

In 1977 President Jimmy Carter[15] noted, in his diary, that the Arab lobby had pressured him mightily while he was involved in the peace negotiations between Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. "They [Arab Americans] have given all the staff, Brzezinski, Warren Christopher, and others, a hard time," wrote[16] Carter.

Among the more notable individual members of the Arab lobby in recent decades was the late Clark Clifford (died October 1998), who The New York Times described as a key adviser to four U.S. presidents, and as an influential paid lobbyist for Arab sources. In his memoir, Counsel to the President, Clifford wrote[17] that he advised his clients: "What we can offer you is an extensive knowledge of how to deal with the government on your problems. We will be able to give you advice on how best to present your position to the appropriate departments and agencies of the government."

Another key figure in the Arab lobby has been Fred Dutton, former Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs and special assistant to President John F. Kennedy. On July 19, 2005, The Hill reported[18] that Dutton (a lobbyist for Saudi Arabia) had worked assiduously to persuade Congress to approve two major arms sales to that nation.

Axis Information and Analysis (AIA), which specializes in information about Asia and Eastern Europe, rated[19] Prince Bandar Bin Sultan -- a Saudi ambassador to the U.S. from 1983 to 2005 -- as the single most influential foreigner in America. With links to high-ranking officials in the State Department, Pentagon, and CIA, Sultan was a key participant in many clandestine negotiations pertaining to U.S. interests in the Middle East. According to AIA, in 1990-91 it was Sultan who pushed President George H.W. Bush to launch the military campaign to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait. Moreover, his father -- Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz al Saud -- was a leading figure in the ruling Saudi dynasty. As such, he helped determine the extent of his nation's military cooperation with the U.S. in the Persian Gulf.

During a January 1998 U.S. Congressional Delegation briefing in Damascus, Syria, Congressman Nick J. Rahall (D -- West Virginia), who is of Lebanese descent, said:[20] "Our [Arab] lobby in the United States is growing in its influence and its participation in political campaigns across the spectrum. Our trip [was] sponsored by the Arab American Institute -- one of those most effective lobbying groups of the Arab groups in Washington -- and a relatively new group, the National Arab American Businessmen's Association. [Through] these groups... we are increasing our influence, and we are increasing our participation."

Some members of the Arab lobby in America are heavily financed with money from the Arab world. As Jacob Laksin recently detailed[21] in FrontPageMagazine, for instance, the Atlanta-based Carter Center[22] (founded by Jimmy Carter in 1982) has been a longtime recipient of Arab funding. Before his death in 2005, Saudi Arabia's King Fahd made several large donations to the Center, including a 1993 gift of $7.6 million. As of 2005, the king's nephew, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, had given at least $5 million to the Carter Center. In 2001 the United Arab Emirates (UAE) gave the Center $500,000. The previous year, ten of Osama bin Laden's brothers had jointly pledged $1 million, as did Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman in 1998. The Saudi Fund for Development has been another major contributor, as has the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development.[23] And Morocco's Prince Moulay Hicham Ben Abdallah has collaborated with the Carter Center on various initiatives.

According to terrorism expert Steven Emerson, "Assessing the influence and breadth of the Arab/Muslim lobby would be a difficult thing to do, since the metrics for assessing such things are not easily available. The lobby's real strength is felt on the local level, where its members receive community awards, participate in human relations councils, change the local educational curricula, persuade school districts to give them holidays off, and get local police and statewide officials to attend their events. Nationally, their influence is felt at the State Department in terms of their being invited to briefings, sponsored on road trips abroad, etc. The one recent time where they actually exacted an influence on President Bush was in persuading him to drop the use of the term 'Islamo-fascism.'"

While the Arab lobby has a few friends in Congress today, its effect is felt mainly as a result of its joint efforts with organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union[24] to dilute anti-terror measures. The lobby, says Emerson, "is mainly in the process of building up a grassroots network around the United States, with the anticipation that, abetted by growing demographics, it will be in a position of political influence in the future."

Following are brief summaries of a number of U.S.-based organizations that lobby on behalf of Arab interests. Each of these groups is profiled, in greater depth, by DiscoverTheNetworks.org:[25]

To learn much more about these and many hundreds of other leftist organizations, visit DiscoverTheNetworks.org.[184]

Sources:

Mitchell Bard, "The Israeli and Arab Lobbies," Jewish Virtual Library.
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/US-Israel/lobby.html

Maurice Ostroff, "The Arab Lobby."
http://maurice-ostroff.tripod.com/id11.html

Jacob Laksin, "Jimmy Carter and the Arab Lobby," FrontPageMagazine.com (December 18, 2006).
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=26045

Arab American Institute, "Arab Americans: Population."
http://www.aaiusa.org/arab-americans/22/demographics

Dave Eberhart, "Carter's Arab Funding May Color Israel Stance," NewsMax.com (April 29, 2002).
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2002/4/28/112225.shtml

"Transcript: U.S. Congressional Delegation January 7 Briefing in Syria" (January 8, 1998).
http://telaviv.usembassy.gov/publish/peace/archives/1998/january/me0108b.html

DiscoverTheNetworks.org, "Arab Lobby (Groups)."
http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/guideDesc.asp?catId=178&type=group

Footnotes

1. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6174
2. http://www.aaiusa.org/arab-americans/22/demographics
3. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/US-Israel/lobby.html
4. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/US-Israel/lobby.html
5. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/default.asp
6. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/guideDesc.asp?catId=178&type=group
7. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/US-Israel/lobby.html
8. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/US-Israel/lobby.html
9. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/US-Israel/lobby.html
10. http://maurice-ostroff.tripod.com/id11.html
11. http://maurice-ostroff.tripod.com/id11.html
12. http://maurice-ostroff.tripod.com/id11.html
13. http://maurice-ostroff.tripod.com/id11.html
14. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/US-Israel/lobby.html
15. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=1655
16. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=1655
17. http://maurice-ostroff.tripod.com/id11.html
18. http://maurice-ostroff.tripod.com/id11.html
19. http://maurice-ostroff.tripod.com/id11.html
20. http://telaviv.usembassy.gov/publish/peace/archives/1998/january/me0108b.html
21. http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=26045
22. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=7314
23. http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2002/4/28/112225.shtml
24. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6145
25. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/default.asp
26. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6372
27. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6624
28. http://www.al-amana.org/services.php
29. http://www.al-amana.org/complaint.php
30. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6146
31. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=1311
32. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6181
33. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6993
34. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=671
35. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6623
36. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/guideDesc.asp?catid=101&type=issue
37. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6383
38. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6621
39. http://www.americantaskforce.org/refugees.php
40. http://www.americantaskforce.org/refugees.php
41. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6173
42. http://www.rightsworkinggroup.org/files/21LE4003AA%20CLRA%20
org%20sign%20for%20House%20to%20POST%20-%206-16-04.pdf
43. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6774
44. http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=1597
45. http://www.one-democratic-state.org/articles/campbell.html
46. http://www.independent.com/opinions/letters925.htm
47. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6462
48. http://www.volunteermatch.org/orgs/org38438.html
49. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6636
50. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=1347
51. http://www.aaan.org/calendar_event.php?eid=20050204205447582
52. http://www.aaan.org/oral.html
53. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6174
54. http://www.aaiusa.org/about/152/what-we-do
55. ttp://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Printable.asp?ID=7991
56. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=763
57. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=7287
58. http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/funderprofile.asp?fndid=5223&category=79
59. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6556
60. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=1504
61. http://www.ngo-monitor.org/editions/v1n03/v1n03-4.htm
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63. http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=19739
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66. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6240
67. http://www.islam-democracy.org/board.asp
68. http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=6930
69. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=1230
70. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6612
71. ttp://www.osudivest.org/
72. http://www.songsforchange.com/forum.cfm?forum_action=showposts&topicid=31525
73. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=796
74. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6601
75. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6176
76. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6160
77. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=755
78. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=967
79. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6215
80. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6204
81. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=676
82. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6181
83. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=7042
84. http://www.faair.org/
85. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6202
86. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6204
87. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6147
88. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=781
89. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6155
90. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6603
91. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6560
92. http://www.endtheoccupation.org/petition.php?pid=5
93. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6894
94. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=1599
95. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6233
96. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6457
97. http://www.iananet.org/history.htm
98. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/specialreports/ jihad/s_120813.html
99. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6370
100. http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/ A31402-2003Oct1?language=printer
101. http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-katz-devon031103.asp
102. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6211
103. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=1420
104. http://www.nationalreview.com/script/printpage.p?ref=/ comment/comment-katz-devon031103.asp
105. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6380
106. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/Articles/ Israels%20American%20Detractors.html
107. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6178
108. http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=24670
109. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=7231
110. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=7240
111. http://btvshalom.org/wherewestand/20050101.shtml
112. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6610
113. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6768
114. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=7206
115. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6158
116. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/viewSubCategory.asp?id=42
117. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6704
118. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=716
119. http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=2170
120. http://masnet.org/aboutmas.asp
121. http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=18200
122. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6386
123. http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=8642
124. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6177
125. http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:gQtIj_VeuSkJ:www.michellemalkin.com/+
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127. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=1402
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131. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6181
132. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6204
133. http://www.meforum.org/article/603
134. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6715
135. http://www.arab-american.net/AboutUs/aboutusarchives/oldindex.html
136. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/viewSubCategory.asp?id=42
137. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6916
138. http://www.crlp.org/pr_01_1101ngos.html
139. http://www.nccmiddleeast.blogspot.com/
140. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6577
141. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6337
142. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/viewSubCategory.asp?id=42
143. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6382
144. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6616
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146. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=7235
147. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6611
148. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6233
149. http://home.comcast.net/~jat.action/PSM.htm
150. http://palestinesolidaritymovement.org/temp/ index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=49&Itemid=71
151. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/viewSubCategory.asp?id=42
152. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=7236
153. http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=1666
154. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6233
155. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6379
156. http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6640
157. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6773
158. http://www.bapd.org/gst-w-1.html
159. http://www.al-awda.org/newyork/events/09-25_09-30%20IMF/ 09-25_09-30%20IMF.htm
160. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6775
161. http://www.endtheoccupation.org/article.php?id=23
162. http://www.endtheoccupation.org/article.php?id=23
163. http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=650
164. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6776
165. http://www.naaponline.org/inmedia/abm.asp
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167. http://216.239.39.104/search?q=cache:ZVJoxTcoA5wJ:muhammadanism.org/
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174. http://wheelsofjusticetour.org/node
175. ttp://www.nysun.com/article/45006
176. http://wheelsofjusticetour.org/the-wheels-of-justice-tour-platform
177 http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6425
178. http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6386
179. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=690
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184. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/default.asp

 
John Perazzo is the author of The Myths That Divide Us: How Lies Have Poisoned American Race Relations. E-mail him at wsbooks25@hotmail.com

This article appeared January 17, 2007 in FrontPageMagazine.com
(http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=26385).

 

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