Greenwald referred to this article on his blog this morning, but I thought the original was such a clear statement I bring it to your attention. From Rami Khouri in Lebanon’s Daily Star, "Why Chuckles Greeted Hillary’s Gulf Tour," responding to the American claim that the Arab Gulf states want Israel as a protector against a nuclear Iran. My emphasis.
This sounds reasonable, but it is not an accurate description of the actual options that the Arab Gulf states have. It is mostly a description of how American and Israeli strategic concerns and slightly hysterical biases are projected onto the Gulf states’ worldviews. These states in fact have a fourth option, which is to negotiate seriously a modus vivendi with Iran that removes the “threat” from their perceptions of Iran by affirming the core rights and strategic needs of both sides, thus removing mutual threat perceptions.
This is exactly the same option the US used when it negotiated détente and the Helsinki Accords with the Soviet Union (and whose results ultimately brought about the collapse of Communism). Why the US does not use the same sensible approach to the perceived threat from Iran is hard to explain. Perhaps two reasons explain it: Washington would have to deal with Iran (and other defiant Middle Easterners) through negotiations rather than haughty neo-colonialism; and, Israel would have to submit to nuclear inspections and end its aggressive behavior.
Weiss adds: Note the reference to the collapse of Communism. The analogy is clear. Very few of us in the west are fond of radical Islam. I don’t like it one bit. How can I have any effect on radical Islam? Return to Wolman’s emphasized Rx.
please check your daily star link, it isn’t opening for me. thanks
I was with Khouri until the paragraph about communism/US dealings with USSR and Weiss’s amplification of it.
Joe Cirincione has written a number of essays and books demonstrating that USSR arms “gap” was hyperbolized and that those doing the hyperventilating knew they were fearmongering, were doing it to benefit arms industry in US.
To that extent, there is a parallel between US-USSR and today’s US-Iran: Khamenei is quite correct when he says US is turning Arab states into an “arms depot” and using Iran as the boogey-man goad link to campaigniran.org
here’s the rest of that comment:
As long as Robert Gates has been working for federal government he’s been selling US arms to Arabs. 2007, 2008, and most blatantly 2009 US presentations at Manama Dialog were all about US using one boogey-man or another to pry money out of the pockets of rich sheiks, according to Peter Kenyon, reporting for NPR:
link to npr.org
It’s interesting that Israel is not so happy about this development and regards it as a betrayal of the US promise to ensure Israel’s military superiority. But when it comes to the clout of the M/I complex, even the Israel Lobby doesn’t always get its way. (And of course now Israel has to spend more US money on even more advanced weapons to keep ahead, so it’s win/win for the armsmongers.)
I hadn’t thought of it that way, potsherd.
Interesting.
Perhaps US is using Iranophobia to induce Arabs to arm to counter out-of-control Israel.
Perhaps the US government is as afraid of Israel as I am.
Never discount the military-industrial (& security products, services) complex Ike warned about–thing is, no matter
which way it goes, it will always profit to the max so long as the Palestinians are not allowed a viable home.
Furthermore, the US government is not afraid of Israel per se; it simply cannot do otherwide than what it does due to the Israel Lobby (due in turn to the reality of campaign finance in the USA).
“Iran’s crime is its independence. Having thrown out America’s favourite tyrant, Shah Reza Pahlavi, Iran remains the only resource-rich Muslim state beyond US control. As only Israel has a “right to exist” in the Middle East, the US goal is to cripple the Islamic Republic. This will allow Israel to divide and dominate the Middle East on Washington’s behalf, undeterred by a confident neighbour. If any country in the world has been handed urgent cause to develop a nuclear “deterrence”, it is Iran.
link to newstatesman.com
Caveat: It’s not in the USA’s best interests (short or long-term) for Israel to divide and dominate the Middle East; it’s only arguably in the best (short-term, measured in decades) interest of Israel only.