[Peace-discuss] WHAT accounts for the US' mindless support for Israel???

Thu Jan 22 14:06:52 CST 2009

Right on, Carl. This was an excellent tune-up in answer to the question, and
thank you, Jenifer for asking it. Barbara

On Wed, Jan 21, 2009 at 9:06 PM, C. G. Estabrook <galliher at uiuc.edu> wrote:

> I think it's important to realize that the USG's support for Israel isn't
> mindless at all.  It's perfectly in keeping with the long-standing US policy
> in the Middle East, which -- because of its energy resources -- is the most
> important region of the world for US foreign policy.
>
> "Since WWI, when the world began to move onto an oil-based economy, the
> Middle East has become central in world affairs, for the very obvious reason
> that it has, by far the largest and the most accessible petroleum resources
> -- primarily in Saudi Arabia, secondarily in Iraq, and thirdly in the Gulf
> Emirates, and elsewhere. As the State Department described it during the
> Second World War, when the US was taking over, 'It's a stupendous source of
> strategic power and the greatest material prize in world history.' In the
> 1950s President Eisenhower called it 'strategically the most important part
> of the world.'"
>
> It's become even more important to the US as economic rivals arose in the
> world -- Europe and northeast Asia.  The US doesn't need Mideast energy for
> its own purposes, but control of it gives the USG a strangle-hold over these
> competing economies.
>
> The greatest threat to US control has been what the State Department calls
> "domestic radicalism" -- the unconscionable demand of the people of the
> region to control their own resources.
>
> In the post-WWII period of decolonization, this threat was borne by
> (secular) Arab nationalism, led by Nasser of Egypt.  The defeat of this
> threat by Israel in 1967 solidified the adoption by the US of Israel as its
> chief client (and by far the largest recipient of US foreign aid,
> particularly military).  It became the bulwark against threats to "our" oil
> -- the "local cop on the beat," in the words of the Nixon-Kissinger
> administration.
>
> It's recently become fashionable to ignore the long-term geopolitical
> reasons that make the US Israel's patron, and to suggest that it's all
> matter of lobbying, of bribing congress with campaign contributions, or of
> malign and occult influence by the Israeli government over successive US
> administrations. At its worst (as in the case of the recently-departed head
> of the CIA, George Tenet) -- and not just on the Right -- this view becomes
> a sort of higher anti-semitism, the notion that crimes that the US has
> committed in SW Asia are the Jews' fault.
>
> As Noam Chomsky argues, "The thesis ... is that the lobbies have
> overwhelming influence, and the so-called 'national interest' is harmed by
> what they do. If that were the case, it would be, I would think, a very
> hopeful conclusion. It would mean that U.S. policy could easily be reversed.
> It would simply be necessary to explain to the major centers of power, like
> the energy corporations, high-tech industry and arms producers and so on,
> just explain to them that their interests are being harmed by this small
> lobby that screams anti-semitism and funds congressmen, and so on. Surely
> those institutions can utterly overwhelm the lobby in political influence,
> in finance, and so on, so that ought to reverse the policy."
>
> But it doesn't happen, and the reason is that USG support for Israel isn't
> mindless at all; it's an important part of fundamental US geopolitical
> strategy, notably its control of the Mideast energy.  --CGE
>
>
>
> Karen Medina wrote:
>
>> Jenifer Cartwright asked > WHAT accounts for the US' mindless support for
>> Israel???
>>
>> The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is America's
>> Pro-Israel
>>  Lobby. 100,000-members. Money beyond belief.
>>
>> Of the two recent resolutions "recognizing Israel's right to defend itself
>> against attacks from Gaza": * Senate Resolution 10 passed by unanimous
>> consent in the Senate. * House Resolution 34 passed the House by a vote of
>> 390 to 5. Rep. Nancy Pelosi was the sponsor and there were 116
>> co-sponsors.
>> Those 5 voting AGAINST the resolution were: Dennis Kucinich, Gwen Moore,
>> Nick
>> Rahall, Maxine Waters, and Ronald Paul.
>>
>> You really must look at the numerous statements of "American Leaders Speak
>> Out in Support of Israel's Right to Self-Defense" updated January 15, 2009.
>> http://www.aipac.org/Publications/SourceMaterialsCongressionalAction/CongressIsraelGazaSelfDefense.pdf
>>
>> Is it the U.S.'s fear of Iran that gives this group (AIPAC) so much power?
>>
>> Hey, have you seen the video of Obama at AIPAC's policy conference????
>> Scary
>> but worth watching.
>> http://www.aipac.org/about_AIPAC/Learn_About_AIPAC/2841_12684.asp He
>> mentions
>> the nebulous "shared interests, shared values."
>>
>> AIPAC claims as their major achievements: * Passing more than a dozen
>> bills
>> and resolutions condemning and imposing tough sanctions on Iran during the
>> past 15 years. * Securing critical security assistance to Israel each year
>> to
>> ensure that Israel remains capable of facing increased threats. * Passing
>> legislation requiring the administration to evaluate all future military
>> sales to Arab states in the context of the need to maintain Israel's
>> qualitative military edge over potential adversaries. * Reinforcing the
>> key
>> principles America should stand by as it works to help Israel achieve
>> peace
>> in letters to the president signed by 268 House members and 78 senators. *
>> Passing multiple resolutions affirming congressional support for Israel's
>> right to self-defense in the face of terrorism by the terrorist groups
>> Hamas
>> and Hizballah. * Strongly urging the administration to take its decision
>> to
>> designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist
>> group and weapons proliferator through an amendment supported by 76
>> senators
>> and key legislation passed in the House of Representatives. *
>> Strengthening
>> U.S.-Israel energy cooperation by passing legislation that establishes a
>> grant program that funds joint projects between U.S. and Israeli entities
>> in
>> the field of alternative energy. * Strengthening U.S.-Israel homeland
>> security cooperation by passing landmark legislation creating an office
>> within the Department of Homeland Security to support joint research and
>> development projects between the United States and key allies such as
>> Israel.
>>  * Prohibiting U.S. aid and contacts with a Hamas-led PA until its leaders
>> recognize Israel's right to exist, renounce violence and ratify previous
>> Israeli- Palestinian peace agreements. * Ratifying an agreement that led
>> to
>> the Israeli medical service Magen David Adom's admission to the
>> International
>> Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (IRC). * Passing the Syrian
>> Accountability Act, which allows the president to sanction Syria for its
>> continued involvement in Lebanon and support of terrorism.
>>
>> ---- Original message ----
>>
>>> Date: Wed, 21 Jan 2009 12:50:52 -0800 (PST) From: Jenifer Cartwright
>>> <jencart13 at yahoo.com> Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] Fwd: Message From
>>> Senator Durbin -- P S To: peace-discuss <peace-discuss at anti-war.net>,
>>> "Brussel Morton K."
>>>
>> <mkbrussel at comcast.net>
>>
>>> Naive question on my part, but WHAT accounts for the US' mindless support
>>> for Israel??? Jews are about 3% of the US population, and almost all of
>>> the
>>> ones I know agree w/ me about the situation in the ME.
>>>  --Jenifer
>>>
>>
> _______________________________________________
> Peace-discuss mailing list
> Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
> http://lists.chambana.net/cgi-bin/listinfo/peace-discuss
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.chambana.net/mailman/archive/peace-discuss/attachments/20090122/952a1d8d/attachment.htm