[Peace-discuss] Bricmont on identity…

[Carl G. Estabrook]

But criticizing Israeli government actions does nothing to correct or  
condemn the criminal foreign policy of the US (or France), unless it's  
acknowledged that it's US (& NATO) policy that makes Israel's crimes  
possible.

In fact, such criticism can function as a distraction from US foreign  
policy, a la Mearsheimer-Walt (= the higher anti-semitism, a.k.a. "The  
Jews made us do it!") --CGE


On Apr 21, 2012, at 7:01 PM, Morton K. Brussel wrote:

> Sorry to wait so long to comment on your comment.
>
> It seems to me that your comments are beside the points of what  
> Bricmont is arguing, namely the reticence of people in France to  
> criticize what Israel is doing under the name of antisemitism. We  
> have a similar phenomenon in this country. Comments about French  
> foreign policy seem irrelevant in his particular discussion, except  
> perhaps as it relates to Israel and the Palestinians
>
> --mkb.
>
> On Apr 3, 2012, at 8:00 AM, Carl G. Estabrook wrote:
>
>> ‎'...There is much more concentration on the presumed “incorrect  
>> feelings” of the French population than on the unquestionably real  
>> involvement of France in Middle East wars of no interest to the  
>> majority of the French population. It would be more useful to  
>> examine the role of Middle East conflicts in creating hostilities  
>> at home than endlessly denouncing the French people for their  
>> incorrect thoughts. But France’s foreign policy – its role in  
>> starting the Libya war, its aggressive stance toward Syria, its  
>> total alignment with Israel and the United States in the Middle  
>> East – is not a major issue in the current presidential election,  
>> with the main Socialist candidate François Hollande adhering to  
>> this policy.'
>>
>> [From <http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/04/02/the-toulouse-murders/>.
>>
>> There are of course quite similar uses of 'racism' in the US. --CGE
>>
>>
>> On Apr 2, 2012, at 6:48 PM, Morton K. Brussel wrote:
>>
>>> I thought that you might be interested in this article, appearing  
>>> in Counterpunch.
>>>
>>> In Defense of Gilad Atzmon
>>> By Jean Bricmont
>>> [...]
>>
>