ABSTRACT

Given its weakness when compared to its pro-Israel counterpart, the proArab lobby has had a spotty history in the United States.1 Its very existence is often contested even from within its own ranks. For example, when phoning Arab American organizations to set up interviews with their representatives for this work, it was dismaying to hear the person on the other end state “there is no Arab lobby in Washington, DC.”2 Perhaps the definition of “lobby” that was being utilized in this instance narrowly considered the term as an organization that directly influences government officials by telling them how to vote on particular legislation or face consequences in either votes or campaign contributions. By that definition, Arab groups have only a handful of agents on Capitol Hill with limited resources, not enough to constitute a “lobby” in the same sense as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Lobbying, however, involves much more than prompting Congress members on how to vote. It is an integral part of “domestic support for or opposition to foreign policy” and is one of the most effective forms of political action, which “expresses itself in various forms, ranging from letter-writing and editorializing to demonstrations and bomb-throwing.”3 Moreover, lobbying is an essential component of the “domestic structures,” which “function as important inputs into the making of foreign policy, and define the broad internal limits within which decision-makers feel compelled to operate.”4 It may be direct or indirect, may aim at the executive or the legislature, or may focus on shaping public opinion. Foreign governments or citizens’ groups may lobby to secure favorable policies. The sources of funding for lobbying may come from domestic sources or from abroad. In short, lobbying is about providing inputs to affect policy outputs. A lobbyist is a “person working to influence government policies and actions.”5 If that person takes action to change any of the myriad factors acting on foreign policy, he or she is engaged in some form of lobbying. The organization that employs such a person would be considered a “lobby,” which under US law, influences “the passing or defeat of legislation.”6