Stephen M. Walt is an American political scientist and the Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School, where he has served as Academic Dean since 2002. He is known for his realist foreign policy theories, particularly as a proponent of defensive realism. He co-authored with John Mearsheimer the 2007 book, 'The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy,' which critiques U.S.-Israel relations, criticizes neoconservative influence, represents a realist critique of neoconservatism, and argues that groups like AIPAC exert undue influence and distort U.S. foreign policy.