WINEP

When I lived in Washington, DC (off and on) until 1993, all academics of the Middle East boycotted WINEP, the research arm of the Israeli lobby.  Only fanatical Zionist academics participated in its affairs, and they were mostly Israelis or Israeli wannabees. Today, it has become a venue for the rite of passage, or a necessary stepping stone, for ambitious academics of the Middle East who want to win the approval of the Zionist lobby (in and out of government).