Writes a very smart friend: The book being drumrolled below by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (spun out by AIPAC as a thinktank) will become important. Ever since the fall of the Soviet Union, AIPAC has basically had no good answer to realists, like Walt and Mearsheimer, who say that Israel's value as a strategic asset--whatever it was before--has dropped precipitously to the point where Israel saddles the U.S. w/ a strategic liability.
Historically, I cannot overemphasize how important the strategic asset argument was for AIPAC in national security circles and how hobbling it has been to lobbyists to have to dial it back since the FSU's fall and, more especially, the creeping consensus on Israel as a strategic liability reflected in testimony given to Congress by figures such as Gen. David Petraeus and Vice Adm. Lowell E. Jacoby, head of the Defense Intelligence Agency.
"Our policies in the Middle East fuel Islamic resentment," Jacoby told Congress flatly.
In this realm, realism, not empty talking points about the only democracy in the Middle East, is the coin of the realm. And AIPAC had no answer. This is going to be the pro-Israel lobby's answer. It'll be flacked and propagated as basic text. The two authors, BTW--the usual WINEP setup of one Dem, one GOP guy--are both veterans of the Coalition Provisional Authority--i.e., Bush's occupation gov't in Iraq. I'd guess that's where they met and bonded.
 |
|
|
 |
|
Robert D. Blackwill and Walter B. Slocombe
discuss their new study |
ISRAEL:
A Strategic Asset for the United States |
Thursday, November 3, 2011
2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
583 Park Avenue, Arcade Conference Room |
|
|
| |
| |
A bipartisan pair of prominent foreign policy practitioners, Robert D. Blackwill and Walter B. Slocombe, will discuss their groundbreaking new study, ISRAEL: A Strategic Asset for the United States, which rebuts critics of the U.S.-Israel relationship to show how strong ties between the countries advance common national interests. The book adds a strategic rationale to the moral and historical underpinnings of U.S.-Israel relations. Mr. Blackwill is a former ambassador and deputy national security advisor in the George W. Bush administration. Mr. Slocombe is a former under secretary of defense in the Clinton administration.
At a time when many detractors deride the U.S.-Israel relationship as a one-way street, in which the United States provides for Israel's defense and protects Israel in the court of public opinion but receives little in return, Messrs. Blackwill and Slocombe have examined the evidence and reached the opposite conclusion: that America derives enormous strategic benefit from Israel.
 |
|
About Philip Weiss
Philip Weiss is Founder and Co-Editor of Mondoweiss.net.
“Israel right or wrong” is like “my mother drunk or sober” and very hard to sell to people who can think.
And Tony Cordesman knows what he’s talking about :
“The depth of America’s moral commitment does not justify or excuse actions by an Israeli government that unnecessarily make Israel a strategic liability when it should remain an asset. It does not mean that the United States should extend support to an Israeli government when that government fails to credibly pursue peace with its neighbors. It does not mean that the United States has the slightest interest in supporting Israeli settlements in the West Bank, or that the United States should take a hard-line position on Jerusalem that would effectively make it a Jewish rather than a mixed city. It does not mean that the United States should be passive when Israel makes a series of major strategic blunders–such as persisting in the strategic bombing of Lebanon during the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict, escalating its attack on Gaza long after it had achieved its key objectives, embarrassing the U.S. president by announcing the expansion of Israeli building programs in east Jerusalem at a critical moment in U.S. efforts to put Israeli-Palestinian peace talks back on track, or sending commandos to seize a Turkish ship in a horribly mismanaged effort to halt the “peace flotilla” going to Gaza.
It is time Israel realized that it has obligations to the United States, as well as the United States to Israel, and that it become far more careful about the extent to which it test the limits of U.S. patience and exploits the support of American Jews. This does not mean taking a single action that undercuts Israeli security, but it does mean realizing that Israel should show enough discretion to reflect the fact that it is a tertiary U.S. strategic interest in a complex and demanding world.”
link to csis.org
seafoid – i agree with your opening statement..
religious fundamentalists-the christian zionists – don’t think…they take a word in the bible literally as the idea of anything metaphorical is beyond them..
The startegic assets argument was never more than a cover for sentimental support for Israel by domestic lobbies devoted to identity politics. In a way not being a real startegic asset helped the Israelis. It prevented them from being cut off by the US the way Taiwan, South Africa, and other real startegic assets were. Everybody understands that US support for Israel was never about furthering US interests, but furthering Israel’s interest and the interest of domestic groups loyal to Israel.
“The startegic assets argument was never more than a cover for sentimental support for Israel by domestic lobbies devoted to identity politics”
If one goes back and studies the reason put forth as it pertains to Israel’s value to the US during the cold war…at best Israel was seen as nothing more than a staging area or depot in the event we had to push back on Russia in the ME.
AND…this is important, …many within the military command doubted Israel would cooperate fully even on that as it would make it a prime target in that conflict. No expert believed that Israel would be actively engaged in any fight like that as they would put their resources first and foremost into preventing attacks on Israel.
I agree that the strategic aassets argument was largely a cover, but I don’t think it should be dismissed. It’s a very powerful cover and offers a lot of protection. Remember that the “moral” arguments for supporting Israel fall apart when anyone looks closely, or even just watches a video segment or two on how the Occupation really works. The financial argument doesn’t make any sense at all. The “democracy” argument is falling to pieces as Israel becomes ever less democratic and the Arab world more so.
But that all is excusable if you have strategic argument. It allows a person to ignore all other arguments, and to even concede every point, but still make the claim that this is a rough world and we have to accept bad things to support our own interests. The strategic argument is very powerful (despite being borderline absurd at this point) and needs real pushback.
“The lobby rescues its old warhorse from glue factory: Israel is a strategic asset”
Such people do not know what the word “strategic” means. Israel could be a tactical asset to the US, but it is not a strategic asset to the US. (The US, by contrast, is clearly a strategic asset of Israel.) In fact, it is more true on balance that Israeli is a strategic liability than a strategic asset. (Though not an enormous one, given the dearth of true external strategic threats to the US.)
“given the dearth of true external strategic threats to the US”
You’re discounting New Zealand?
The other point is that Israel has to reach a peace deal with the Palestinians. Otherwise it loses all credibility in the wider world.
Zionists can huff and puff about San Remo and the Bible granting the whole of “Erez Israel” to them but outside of the evangelicals nobody is going to buy it .
In the same way that families get busted for child abuse, Israel is in line to get busted for Palestinian abuse.
Slocombe is very “serious” – here is a frontline interview excerpt (with link)
link to pbs.org
Q:After we’d taken Saddam down, decapitated the regime, were you concerned in advance about what you saw about to take place?
A: I think we all knew it was going to be a tough job. We didn’t understand all of the details. Some of the things that we thought would be problems turned out not to be problems. Other things that we did not anticipate necessarily would be problems turned out to be bigger problems. The mix of problems was probably different from what we expected.
Kind of sounds like:
there are no “knowns.” There are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say there are things that we now know we don’t know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we do not know we don’t know.
Very, very serious
israel is not a strategic asset to the US, it is a liability. israel is a very cruel self centered colonialist project with no tangible value to america.
Israel is a guard dog for the sheep that have the oil under the Pax Americana . It has no resources of its own. It’s way out of its depth. And now Pax Americana has broken down. There was an amazing line about the US lobbying against the Palestinians at the UN. Who said that it vetoed its own Middle East policy ?
That would describe the US also. Birthed via genocide, built on the backs of slaves etc. While we have done some good things too, but in the shadow of our dark side
very good, kathleen
some people might be starting to say the same of the usa, especially with regard to its relationship with israel…
oh i agree, i should have said “israel is our very cruel self centered colonialist project with no tangible value to america.”
The state of Israel is another American supported project that is a failing
enterprise, kinda similar to Iraq or Afghanistan -although we’ve been bilked since the 60′s from this pariah with little return investment. Although many argue they’ve given us better technology and medical improvements, all the technology they’ve stolen over the years cancels most of it out- not even mentioning our global hypocrisy defending neo-colonialism. And you could say that Wall Street’s economic powerhouse is part of Jewish investment banking developments (see ynet’s article)
But, the US is one of the few left in the world that support the pariah state, and pay a damaging price for it. It’s quite obvious why when you look at all the Zionist pressure the US Presidents receive.
And they now want Jonathan Pollard released? These Zionists need to stop their ziocane abuse, for their addiction is not only hurting themselves, but the rest of the country.
Many former CIA analyst have been repeating that Israel is a US National Security risk. Specifically Israel’s continued expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank and illegal housing in E Jerusalem. Former head of the CIA’s Bin Laden unit Micheal Scheuer, former CIA analsyt Ray McGovern, former CIA analyst Kathleen and Bill Christison, former CIA analyst Flynt Leverett. As well as General Jones, Wesley Clark, Zinni etc. Questions about Isreals illegal activities and how they have undermined US National Security made it into the 9/11 report.
Zbigniew Bryzinski, Jimmy Carter, Queen Noor, King of Jordan , Arch Bishop Tutu, Mandela etc etc have all addressed Israel’s illegal activities as immoral, illegal and as a growing strategic risk for the US.
The stage being built to isolate, demonize and threaten Iran is still continuing to grow
Sure appears that the MSM is allowing the very same people who lied the US into Iraq to set the stage for an eventual attack on Iran based once again on unsubstantiated claims.
This latest neo con hearing where many unsubstantiated claims were repeated about Iran. Reuel Marc Gerecht for heavens sake testified. Why are Iraq liars listened to and recycled?
If our congress people really wanted well informed scholars to discuss the situation with Iran? Where were Flynt and Hillary Mann Leverett? Clearly our congress people do not want individuals who have been right in the past about Iraq, who have negoatiated with Iran (Hillary Mann Leverett) who were former CIA middle east analyst to testify.
Reuel Marc Gerecht…heaven help us. The man is a liar
WATCH THE WHOLE HEARING AND BE ALARMED
Congress Examines Iranian Threat to U.S. Security
Washington, DC
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
A House subcommittee met earlier today to hear about Iran’s role in the alleged plot to assassinate the Saudi Ambassador to the U.S. while he was here in Washington. U.S. Authorities say the plan involved two men linked to Iran’s security agencies.
Lawmakers also took a look at Iran’s role in the international community and the Middle East, as well at its potential to harm the U.S. through terrorist activities. Members considered the effectiveness of the current sanctions on Iran, and whether additional measures should be taken.
Testifying at the hearing were Retired General Jack Keane, who was the Army’s Vice Chief of Staff from 1999-2003; Reuel Marc Gerecht, from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies; Matt Levitt of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy; and Lawrence Korb from the Center For American Progress Action Fund.
Updated: Wednesday at 3:53pm (ET)
No need to rescue “Israel is a strategic asset”. This endlessly repeated myth has never stopped being repeated
It’s the ideal ally for the military-industrial complex: it comes with its own set of enemies.
Nicely put, Tzombo.
Good one Tzombo!
“the book adds a strategic rationale to the moral and historical underpinnings of the u.s.-israel relationship?”
granted there’s a historical relationship, but rationale and moral?
the two authors must be comedians
“In this realm, realism, not empty talking points about the only democracy in the Middle East, is the coin of the realm. And AIPAC had no answer.”
The realist case for Israel is very clear. First, It’s the only stable state in the region. Every other state bears the risk of having its government overthrown, and the Arab Spring and its aftermath has only amplified this point.
Second, it is the only state in the region with a population that is supportive of the United States. No other country has such a population, and that fact WILL NOT CHANGE if the US abandons Israel.
Third, Israel is a highly-developed modern technological society.
Fourth, Israel’s geo-strategic position makes it an especially valuable ally in a region otherwise hostile to the United States.
I have said this before and I will say it again. The more you rely on conspiracy theories to explain the US-Israel, the less you understand the simple truth, which is that there are sides here, and no responsible American would ever choose the dysfunctional, underdeveloped, freedom-less, anti-American Arab side over the stable, highly-developed, liberal democratic Israeli side. Great powers are not in the business of seeking the love of hostile, poor nations who are not going to love them anyway. It’s no different in the Middle East.
“The realist case for Israel is very clear. First, It’s the only stable state in the region. Every other state bears the risk of having its government overthrown”
So what? Why would that affect the US? US oil companies have managed to keep operating in spite of the instability.
“Second, it is the only state in the region with a population that is supportive of the United States. No other country has such a population”
What does the US need their support for? And when have they actually ever done anything helpful for the US?
“and that fact WILL NOT CHANGE if the US abandons Israel. ”
Really? Before Israel, the US had no enemies in the region. If the US abandons Israel, the attitude of the people of the region will move towards neutrality. Which is better: the support of 7,500,000 and the hostility of 315,000,000 Arabs and 78,000,000 Iranians, or the neutrality of the 393,000,000 and the 7,500,000 being a bit less positive?
“Third, Israel is a highly-developed modern technological society.”
So what? The same is true of Sweden and Singapore, but we don’t see the US crippling itself to support them.
“Fourth, Israel’s geo-strategic position makes it an especially valuable ally in a region otherwise hostile to the United States. ”
Israel isn’t an ally of the US. It never does anything to help the US. Also, if the US were not an ally of Israel, the region would not be so hostile to the US.
” there are sides here”
But the US does not have to take sides. The US interests in the area are (a) oil, (b) military bases to protect the oil supply, and (c) military bases to attack the
Soviet Union[fill in latest enemy].And where does the oil come from? Where are the bases? Same answer to both questions. The dysfunctional, underdeveloped, freedom-less, anti-American, swarthy, unshaven, wild-eyed, fanatical Arab countries. And that is the way it has been for years, in spite of the instability and anti-American-ness.
Dumping Israel would improve the US position. Israel is a liability.
I think that Michele Bachmann got it right on the nature of our strategic benefit from supporting Israel: IF Jews are “the Chosen people” AND “Almighty promised them Holy Land forever and really cares that they keep it all, and forever” AND Almighty may extend His grace to goyim who help happen what He cares about most THEN we have a sure way of gaining the grace of Almighty. Hard to point out a more secure way.
IF Almighty thinks that humanity should steward the environment and should not wreck with with global warming and other kind of damage, then other course of action could be more beneficial, but it is harder to find scriptual evidence for that.
However, it is hard to see the benefits from supporting Israel that do not involve any super-natural agency. Or a super-natural agency that has other preoccupations than the God of Zionists and Christian Zionists.
Concerning strategic assets meant in a more conventional way, I have hard time believing in ANY of them. Nobody is about to attack us, not in the serious meaning of the word. Sea lanes will stay open even without any military bases, and other nations actually pitch in when pirates emerge. Oil producers very much want to sell oil, China gets enough without having any in its “zone of influence”. After Cold War, there is no much need for strategy, strategic assets etc. Unless you have a way to convert them into favors with Almighty, that is.
“other nations actually pitch in when pirates emerge.”
Just to rub that point in a bit, here’s a list of the members of the Combined Maritime Force. The CMF is a multi-national naval partnership, commanded (as of today) by a Turkish Rear Admiral. It was set up to deal with Somali pirates. As far as I can tell, all but two of the members have been involved in action.
Royal Navy
Royal Australian Navy
Royal Belgian Navy
Royal Canadian Navy
Royal Danish Navy
Royal Malaysian Navy
Royal Netherlands Navy
Royal Saudi Navy
Royal Spanish Navy
Royal Swedish Navy
Royal Thai Navy
Bulgarian Navy
Chinese PLA Navy
French Navy
Finnish Navy
German Navy
Greek Navy
Indian Navy
Iranian Navy
Italian Navy
Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force
(S) Korean Navy
Pakistan Navy
Portuguese Navy
Russian Navy
Singapore Navy
Turkish Navy
United States Navy
link to en.wikipedia.org
Other navies have also operated against the pirates.
Kenyan Navy -link to navaltoday.com
Yemen Navy- link to english.peopledaily.com.cn
Royal Norwegian Navy – link to militaryphotos.net
But I can’t find any mention of the Israeli navy doing anything to help.
All arguments about alliance, identity and commonality fall before the incompatibility of the following two fundamental items
1) Liberty and Justice for All
2) The Jewish State
The Consequences of the Partition of Palestine:
link to foia.cia.gov
De-classified CIA doc written in 1947. Read the second paragraph on page 7. Also read the last paragraph and use it on the hasbaraists..
Perhaps during the Cold War it was of some ‘strategic’ value. Looking back it most definitely was not worth the price we’ve paid and now there are neo-Soviets among their leaders.
Israel’s has the second highest spying activity on American soil behind China. Americans should be concerned about both, but Israel is supposed to be our ‘best bud’ ally and their population is a half of one percent of China’s. These spies use scams to fund their activities. Locksmiths who charge more than the quoted price, movers who ask for more money and hold belongings hostage, mall kiosk junk, counterfeit art, Waves in Myrtle Beach who sell cocaine in addition to junk and henna tattoos they overcharge credit cards with.
Then there is Pollard, the man whose spying completely compromised our nuclear cold war strategy wasting decades and trillions of dollars in work leading to the death of up to 1,000 people. And Israel (and American Zionists) want us to free this guy? Our blind support for Israel has made us an enemy and a laughing stock in the ME. They stole nuclear materials from us. The CIA ranks them the lowest among our allies. They’ve been caught red-handed plotting or executing false flags. The USS Liberty attack is still shrouded in secrecy. They were responsible for the barracks bombing in Beirut. Our blind support for Israel is what led to the 9/11 attacks. They are also significantly influential in our decision to go to both wars with Iraq. Washington Zionists adopted their ‘security’ standards forcing us to give up some of our constitutional rights. We’ve recently taken to torture and assassination as government policy.
Strategic asset howso? And to who? Not the United States or its citizens. Strategic to the Zionists because they have infiltrated the highest levels of our government and dictate foreign policy with Israel’s needs over those of the US. The parasite cannot survive without the host
Wow, Charon, that’s an incredible document…
whoa, the last sentence of the 7th page is outrageou
#2 on pg 8 is a must read.
You mean this one?
“A representative of the Jewish Agency has stated that in the event of partition the 400,000 Jews in the Arab states outside Palestine may have to be sacrificed in the interest of the Jewish community as a whole”
I noticed this one.
“Before the enunciation of the Balfour Declaration in 1917, the Jews in the Near East fared as well as other minority groups throughout the world.”
yep, i meant that one.
the one you noticed, we already knew that. not news, ;)
btw, they figured out a way to make them more ‘useful’ alive than dead.
What do Palestinians and Arab-Jews Have in Common?
they’re still trying to leverage that ‘swap’.
We already knew that, but now we have proof.
If the CIA says it, it must be true.
““Before the enunciation of the Balfour Declaration in 1917, the Jews in the Near East fared as well as other minority groups throughout the world.”
Great. So relativity matters, huh? Because we “had it as good as other minority groups”, we ought to be, what? Thankful? Subservient? Apologetic?
Since relativity matters, I’ll remind you that Israeli Arabs (or Palestinian Israelis, or whatever you prefer) have it better than their brethren throughout the Arab world. So they shouldn’t have a beef, right? They should genuflect before the Jews, right?
I love how you guys love the CIA as long as they support your point of view.
The same document says:
“Inflamed by nationalism and religious fervor, Arabs in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Transjordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, AS WELL AS PALESTINE, are determined to fight against any force, or combination of forces, which attempts to set up a Jewish state in Palestine.”
So, Palestinians were involved in the fighting, and the goal was not the protect the Palestinians, but to stifle the Jews.
The document terms Arab opposition to a Jewish state in Palestine as “violent” and notes that no solution has been as generally accepted as partition.
It notes as proof of Palestine’s importance to the Arab League the leading role of Mufti Husseini.
The document notes the overwhelming importance of Arab NATIONALISM, not democracy, not pluralism, but nationalism, strongly suggesting once again, that this conflict is not about justice, but about two competing nationalist narratives.
It notes the tendency of Arabs toward religious fanaticism and role that fanaticism plays in informing Arab nationalism.
It notes that the Arabs believed a Jewish state would impede Arab-Islamic cultural development. That’s a purely ethnocentric argument, and a paranoid one given the overwhelming numerical and geographic advantage enjoyed by the Arabs in the region.
It notes anti-US Arab terrorism of the time, mentioning the bombing of US interests in Beirut and Jerusalem.
It notes that while Jews in Arab lands paid a price for political Zionism, there was also a much more common reason for the attack – looting and stealing by poor Arabs from less poor Jews. Apparently, Jews were safe in Arab lands as long as they didn’t express themselves.
It describes the Arabs left in the Jewish state as a ready-made “fifth column” for attacking Arab armies to use against the Jews.
By all means, keep posting this stuff.
hops isnt this a two wrongs make it right arg?
Not exactly:
The Damascus affair occurred in 1840, when an Italian monk and his servant disappeared in Damascus. Immediately following, a charge of ritual murder was brought against a large number of Jews in the city. All were found guilty. The consuls of England, France and Germany as well as Ottoman authorities, Christians, Muslims and Jews all played a great role in this affair.[14] Following the Damascus affair, Pogroms spread through the Middle East and North Africa. Pogroms occurred in: Aleppo (1850, 1875), Damascus (1840, 1848, 1890), Beirut (1862, 1874), Dayr al-Qamar (1847), Jerusalem (1847), Cairo (1844, 1890, 1901–02), Mansura (1877), Alexandria (1870, 1882, 1901–07), Port Said (1903, 1908), Damanhur (1871, 1873, 1877, 1891), Istanbul (1870, 1874), Buyukdere (1864), Kuzguncuk (1866), Eyub (1868), Edirne (1872), Izmir (1872, 1874).[15] There was a massacre of Jews in Baghdad in 1828.[12] There was another massacre in Barfurush in 1867.[12]
link to en.wikipedia.org
Isn’t the one state solution a two wrongs make it right arg?
And no, it is not. It is an argument that the pro-Palestinian narrative that holds that the Palestinians were innocent victims in 1948, that the Arab attacks were simply about protecting the Palestinians, and that the Jews had no reason to fear their Arab brethren in Palestine, is wrong.
Asking Hops to recognize that is like asking to see a unicorn. Not going to happen.
“So relativity matters, huh?”
You are missing the point. The point is that Zionism damaged the position of Jews in Arab lands.
“So, Palestinians were involved in the fighting, and the goal was not the protect the Palestinians, but to stifle the Jews. ”
Of course they were involved. Preventing the Jews from establishing a state was a necessary part of protecting the Palestinians.
“strongly suggesting once again, that this conflict is not about justice, but about two competing nationalist narratives. ”
Narratives? The competing nationalisms were not morally equal. They did not have equally just claims.
Palestinian nationalism was the desire for an independent Palestine for the inhabitants of Palestine. This was a reasonable desire.
Jewish nationalism was a desire to set up a state in the whole of Palestine, by driving out or subjugating the Arabs. This was an evil desire. (Until you accept the idea that Jews do not have any sort of special rights or special importance that gives them moral precedence over other people, you will not recognize the evil.)
Palestinian opposition to this plan was totally justified.
“It notes anti-US Arab terrorism of the time, mentioning the bombing of US interests in Beirut and Jerusalem. ”
And clearly points out that these were consequences of US support for the partition plan.
“The Zionist, for their part, are determined to have a state, in Palestine or in the view of extreme elements ALL OF PALESTINE AND TRANSJORDAN AS WELL”
The extreme element IS WINNING
Quite the document.
“Then there is Pollard, the man whose spying completely compromised our nuclear cold war strategy wasting decades and trillions of dollars in work leading to the death of up to 1,000 people.”
And Barney Frank etc want Obama to release him.
Tzombo-
“It’s the ideal ally for the military-industrial complex: it comes with its own set of enemies.”
Yes, and testing grounds for fresh US weapons to be tried out on live targets. The IDF gives the slobbering vampires a close nose full of smoldering human flesh.