Middle East Studies Profs Usurp New Roles to Censure Israel over Gaza Flotilla - '...Among Khalidi’s saber-rattling; Zunes’s, Loewenstein’s and Gerges’s claims to judicial authority; and Esposito’s and Lynch’s popularity contest, it is easy to forget that these individuals are scholars who have spent decades studying the history and politics of the Middle East. The media organizations that invited them to speak did not challenge their unsubstantiated claims. Issues actually relevant to Middle Eastern expertise were either distorted or neglected completely. These scholars’ response to the Gaza flotilla incident demonstrates that America cannot expect an objective analysis of major news events from the leaders of this troubled discipline.’
