New York – March 13, 2009 – AJC today expressed regret that Professor John Mearsheimer, co-author with Professor Stephen Walt of The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, twice refused to debate AJC Executive Director David Harris on a CBS radio show.

Mearsheimer and Harris appeared back-to-back on yesterday’s Dom Giordano program on Philadelphia’s WPHT 1210 AM to discuss Charles Freeman’s withdrawal of his appointment as chair of the National Intelligence Council. Before the show, Mearsheimer declined an offer from the show's host to debate Harris. On the air, when again invited to do so by Giordano, Mearsheimer again refused.

Harris released the following statement:

John Mearsheimer likes to say the “Israel Lobby” stifles political debate. That’s absurd – but it’s true that he was happy to run away from one.

Only someone with a distorted view of reality can complain in his umpteenth major media interview that he is being “silenced.”

Mearsheimer’s attack on Israel and its supporters has gone way beyond a scholarly critique, if it ever was one to begin with. By claiming, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, that “the Lobby” holds veto power over appointments, Mearsheimer dresses up conspiracy theory in the garb of academe.

These opponents of Israel prefer to claim intellectual martyrdom than to make a convincing case for their jaundiced world view. That’s what Chas Freeman did when he blamed the “Israel Lobby” for his own decision to withdraw, and that’s what John Mearsheimer is doing when he dodges debate while playing the victim.

It’s the easy way out. After all, the overwhelming majority of Americans – who make up the real “Israel Lobby” – strongly disagree with them.

I invite Professor Mearsheimer to reconsider his refusal to engage, and to join me for an open debate in a mutually agreed-upon public forum.