FILE – In this Sept. 16, 2008 file photo, an Israeli helicopter is seen flying above armored vehicles during an army exercise at the Shizafon Army Base in southern Israel. The Israeli military in 2012 is embarking on its biggest construction project in three decades, moving 10,000 soldiers out of some of the country’s priciest real estate to a massive new base it is building in the desert sands of southern Israel. (AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill, File)
Written by Brian Betts exclusively for SouthFront
Shortly after the October War of 1973, Washington began subsidizing Israel’s military. Since 1976, Israel has been the largest recipient of military aid from the American taxpayer. The current agreement, signed by the George W. Bush administration in 2003, will see American aid to Israel run out next year. Efforts are already in motion to not only extend military aid to Israel for another decade, but to also increase the dollar amount significantly.
National Public Radio (NPR) reports that a staggering 83 U.S. Senators, out of a total body of 100, recently signed a letter to President Obama asking for the administration to negotiate a new 10-year “memorandum of understanding” with Israel. Israel is reportedly seeking an annual increase from 3.1 billion dollars, to 5 billion dollars.
The Exceptional Case of Israel
Military aid given to smaller countries by larger powers plays a crucial role in dictating regional policies, and as a practice, is not likely to end. Deals between smaller neighbors of immediate geographic proximity are inevitable, as the smaller powers must find a way to fulfill their material needs in their order of battle and may naturally share some of the same geopolitical interests as their military benefactors. Smaller nations that lack the industry and finances to field a modern army trade the freedom of choice in sourcing equipment for the equipment itself. In theory, the providing country enjoys an exclusive relationship as the equipment vendor.
In most cases, military aid understandings include the requirement that every dollar given be spent on American-made weapons. Israel, however, is allotted a 25% portion of the American aid to be more-or-less stipulation-free. This exception means Israel has had a lot of free capital flowing in to foster their own domestic weapons industry.
As of 2008, Israel was the seventh largest arms supplier in the world, with gross sales of nearly 10 billion dollars. America’s current yearly contribution of 3.1 billion may see like a large sum of money, but only comprises a fifth of Israel’s overall budget. American policy makers should be able to see that the economic need for the aid is hardly valid in 2016. Without American aid, Israel still has a strong, home-grown, military industrial complex to rely on.
Ironically, from a free market capitalist’s standpoint, America has financed their customer’s own foray into the weapons market. In this sense, foreign military aid to Israel not only corrupts the nature of sovereignty for both parties, but fundamental U.S. economic principals as well.
Changing Public Perception
There are plenty of pressing debt-related issues on the American home front that could be addressed with an additional five billion dollars per year. The nearly 19 billion dollar debt owed by the City of Detroit could be paid off in four years. The immediate debt payment of 422 million dollars owed by Puerto Rico could be paid in full, along with a few more payments out of the overall 72 billion dollar debt.
In 2014, the American taxpayer helped subsidize the militaries of no fewer than 20 countries. Military aid to foreign countries has been a staple of American foreign policy since the end of World War I. While public opinion has remained somewhat favorable to foreign aid throughout its history, there are recent outliers, such as the Egyptian Revolution of 2013, where the American public has been strongly in favor of cutting off military aid to a specific country.
Evidence of a widespread change in opinion on foreign aid can be seen in the warm reception given to presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s so-called ‘isolationist’ foreign policy statements such as this:
“We will no longer surrender this country or its people to the false song of globalism. The nation-state remains the true foundation for happiness and harmony. I am skeptical of international unions that tie us up and bring America down.”
Trump’s social media posts that mention ending US involvement in Syria and the funding of NATO are among his most popular. These same statements are reviled by many politicians on both sides of the aisle.
The leading nominee for the Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton, has called Trump’s statements on curtailing American military aid “dangerous and naïve.” Avowed pro-interventionists, such as Madeline Albright, have accused Trump of not understanding history, while the American Anti-Defamation League (ADL) was quick to hurl accusations of anti-Semitism at the Donald for his usage of “America First,” a statement that has been inextricably linked to the “America First Committee,” which opposed American involvement in World War II.
On the Republican side, Senator Lindsey Graham claimed Trump “has no understanding of the world and the role we play.” This statement reveals the root cause of the gap between public and policy; Washington in its collective consciousness is unable to register the changing paradigm of the American Zeitgeist. Trump, for all his buffoonery, hasn’t failed to understand the world or the role America plays, rather, the incumbent U.S. leadership has failed to acknowledge a waveform which exists in all civilizations; the breath of outward expansion and inward reflection. Americans are increasingly favoring a more isolationist standpoint.
Militaries are a physical manifestation of sovereignty and a nation’s right to existence. Significant foreign subsidization of a military may bolster its capabilities, but it degrades its cadre and the intrinsic value of its mission. A country’s military is its ultimate argument towards its right to exist, and America does a disservice to democracy and peace when it takes such a prominent role in funding foreign powers a world away from its own borders.
Us aid to israel is in violation of us federal law under the glenn act and symington amendment since they refuse to sign the nnpt and have nuclear weapons. The pentagon estimates over three hundred nuclear warheads and that was years ago.
And what then would stop their hostile neighbours invading? Stupid comment.
firstly, who cares, secondly, what hostile neighbours? Egypt has signed a peace agreement and Al Sisi is on good terms with the Israeli government. Same goes for Jordan. Saudi Arabia and Israel are best buds behind the scenes. Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon are shattered political forces.
What do you mean “who cares”, Israel are the good guys!! They’re democratic and not Islamists, unlike their neighbours, who are dictators and all export terrorism in some form.
Because peace terms are so concrete! And what about Iran? Wanting to wipe them off the face of the Earth.
Israel did take Palestinian land through wars and immigration. Understandably that would upset anybody, Islamic or not. This ‘injustice’ enrages the left wing. I, on the other hand, don’t care. All ethnic states, including Western ones, were founded this way. But I don’t believe it’s the job of the West to promote democracy, which is NOT a universal value, around the world, and so the fact Israel is a democracy is an insufficient justification for support. You simply cannot justify the Israel-America ‘strategic alliance’ on the grounds of concrete national interest. The Sunni GCC states export terrorism, true, because America support enables this. I oppose a special relationship with them as well. Iran suppresses more terrorism than it instigates.
Iran is one of the few genuine Israeli concerns, however they grossly exaggerate Iran’s capacity. Iran’s threats against Israel are more about posturing in a power game with the US than a genuine desire to wipe Israel off the map.
Iran supports Hezbollah and the like, who have repeatedly attacked western nations, so they’re hardly better than the Sunnis, just less bad.
Posturing is besides the point, saying that you intend to wipe a nation of the face of the Earth is deplorable.
Hezbollah’s attacks against the West have been minimal, and almost all directed at Western players in Lebanon., where we shouldn’t be They are not a major threat like Sunni equivalents. So they’re mainly Israel’s problem (whose behaviour in Lebanon is not blameless either). And they fight Sunni terrorists too.
As for their ‘posturing’, we are not going to start a Middle East meltdown because you Jews can’t handle some tough talk. Not our problem.
Ha, Hezbollah shouldn’t be in Lebanon, people like you hate Jews for overrunning Israel, what about Muslims overrunning Lebanon! That was within the last century too, taking a Christian country, flooding it with Muslims and making Christians a minority. But wait, Muslims can’t criticise their own, only the infidels!
I’m not Jewish. So the threat of nuclear eradication is just “tough talk”?? Maybe for a Muslim, always in extremes, of culture, social/gender inequality etc. but for normal people, that’s not right.
If Hezbollah shouldn’t be in Lebanon, nor should Israel. In fact, from a purely military perspective, the 2006 war was a big mistake. You same to think I hate Jews, or that I disapprove of them taking Palestinian land. I have no antipathy against Jews, nor do I care IN THE SLIGHTEST if you took Palestinian land. I am not motivated to support a people who displaced Christians from the Levant, as you correctly point out.
If you have studied political strategy, you would recognize as Henry Kissinger did Iran’s threats are driven tactical exigencies just like North Korea’s. International relations and security are a big boys world. Do you want a safe space like some SJW? The rants of a few Muftis do not justify a constant policy of intervention in the ME from the POV of Western populations.
What do you mean “you”, I’ve already told you, I’m not Jewish.
I’m not arguing Iran’s capabilities of carrying out its threats, only that making such abhorrent threats, of genocide, should not be taken lightly.
I don’t think you know much about SJWs to assume that I am one, they’ve very left wing. I don’t believe that the West should continue to be mired in the ME, we should pull out, stop actively supporting extremists and terrorists and let the region revert back to the Stone Age, where it belongs and where it would be if we stopped throwing so much money at them. We shouldn’t be demolishing their governments, however bad their rulers are, but I take issue with this, which I just noticed:
“I don’t believe it’s the job of the West to promote democracy, which is NOT a universal value, around the world, and so the fact Israel is a democracy is an insufficient justification for support. ”
If people don’t support democracy then there’s something wrong with them. Again, that’s not to say that we should intervene, but pressing for democracy is in no conceivable way a bad thing. Islam and its followers run contrary to democracy but that’s their problem, not the system. They need to change for it to be viable for them, because freedom is paramount, equality, accountability etc.
If we take them heavily, we’ll have a war on our hands. Threats happen. Responding in a reactive way to those threats escalates them. This is going on with North Korea too. We must deal with the world as it is, not how we would like it to be.
Disparate peoples have their own cultures and their own way of life. We wouldn’t like the Russians coming in and imposing their classic triad of Orthodoxy, Autocracy, and Nationality on a Western democracy. We wouldn’t want the Chinese forcing us to adopt the ‘the mandate of heaven’ as our organizing political principle. All these things you talk about – freedom, equality – are disputed territories in terms of priority and what they mean. It’s paradoxical to impose a democratic system without consent. If cultures are to evolve liberal democracy, and there is no norm saying they must, they should do so organically.
Only a Sith deals in absolutes. Is there no middle ground between ignoring a grave threat and all-out war?
And the rest of your comment makes even less sense, yes they have different cultures, ones that are very flawed and generally favour oppression over freedom. Of course we wouldn’t like a dictatorship imposed on us, how is that comparable to accountable politicians and freedom of religion and expression?
“It’s paradoxical to impose a democratic system without consent.”
I already said that it shouldn’t be forced. Pressing for more individual freedoms isn’t a bad thing though. Letting women drive, not imprisoning infidels/apostates/gays etc.
It’s a very simple issue, you’ve got democracy and dictatorships, because that’s what the alternative to democracy is, a few in control and the rest cowed into submission. I’m not saying that the former is perfect at all, but it’s an easy choice between the two options, to anyone that values their freedom.
If Iran is a grave threat WHOM does it threaten? Israel. Iran is NOT a grave threat to the West, despite the porkies EUCOM tell about rouge Iranian missiles. No, those European interceptors are directed at the Russian Federation. If Iran did manage to develop a nuke, miniaturize, mount, and successfully fire it, a single shot like that would probably be intercepted. Then we would retaliate. The next day Iran would no longer exist on the map. Iran would be crazy to fire at the West. It would be crazy to fire at Israel, which possess nukes (illegally!) too. In many ways, you could argue a nuclear armed Iran would introduce strategic stability. Now I know there’s the talking head point of ‘Iran ain’t a rational actor, the mullahs are mad’. This rubbish has been debunked by Henry Kissinger who made the point Iran, the natural regional hegemon of the Middle East, facing off against a supervening hegemon, introduces unpredictability to its foreign and security policy as a low cost asymmetric response against a more powerful opponent. We also see similar tactics used by North Korea. Do try and cultivate a perspicacity that exceeds that of the average talking head “analysis” on FOX or CNN. When dealing with ‘signaling’ on the international scene, you must switch your orientation from ‘fundamental’ (‘OMG they mean what they say’!) to ‘instrumental’ (‘they’re using speech to gain a relative advantage’). Sometimes the say mean things. Israeli politicians have been caught expressing bloodthirsty sentiments too. Some choice examples here: http://whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/palestinians.php#axzz49EraoAmA Your sole remaining avenue of dissent is pure emotionalism. They make you feewwls bad. Well, if you aren’t a SJW convicted speech is violence, grow the fuck up and look to where the speech points like most other informed analysts. Bottom of the line is Israel is pretty secure as is, and even if its not, its none of America’s business.
Now we move to your hilarious second point in which after criticizing me for presenting a false dichotomy when in fact you had loaded the dice by presuming Israel’s existence or security was America’s concern, you present a genuine false dichotomy. It’s either dictatorship or democracy! (What about corporatism and polyarchy?) I hold to a functionalist anthropological perspective. Google is your friend. Long story short, different socio-political systems achieve Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in different ways. Arguably, countries like Saudi Arabia achieve few of these needs, but guess who props up the inbred Sheiks? Democracy is just a historically contingent social problem solver. Our method is imposing a system of negative rights so each individual has his own space. But Asian cultures that emphasize consensus don’t WANT that. They want a system that forces a social consensus, and subordinates the individual to that end. Now YOUR first principles may conflict with those first principles, but according to your own ideology, you must not interfere in your neighbours affairs unless the impact on you. Singapore being an illiberal city state does not impact you. The West may discuss the (relative) benefits of the West but it may not propagandistically promote them to those who have other systems.
Constantly declaring a desire to wipe a nation and its people off the face of the planet is crazy, so you can see why the West don’t underestimate Iran. You know all of those flag burnings, death to America chants etc.? What, you think that we’re all supposed to think ‘ahh, they’re just playing around!’
If Iran and its people act crazy, they’re going to treated as such.
Illegal nukes, ha, as if having defensive weapons is ever going to be held as something to be frowned upon. Who calls them illegal, the UN? The most useless, laughable, corrupt organisation this side of the EU? Where Saudi Arabia are the head of the human rights part of it?
“In many ways, you could argue a nuclear armed Iran would introduce strategic stability”
You’re losing the argument, and your mind; I’ve already shown how insane they are, giving lunatics weapons of mass destruction is in no way arguable. As for stability, Russia has nukes, how is that USA/EU and Russia situation playing out, well you think?
I’m not American, I’ve never seen FOX or CNN but nice try.
So I’ve got to read between the lines of what its rulers and people are saying, gotcha. Because that’s how diplomacy works, you ignore what someone says and translate it as nice words. You sound like a hippie.
Those are terrible examples, what’s wrong with what they said? It’s all true: “There is a huge gap between us (Jews) and our enemies, not just in ability but in morality, culture, sanctity of life, and conscience.”
Look at Muslims’ treatment of other types of Muslims (Shia, Sunni, Yazidi, Alawite etc., the constant wars all over), of treating women like shit, imprisoning or executing gays, persecuting infidels etc.
If you honestly believe that they don’t wholly encompass all of those quoted criticisms then you don’t know what morality and so on are.
Wannabe mass murderers are making me emotional, hurting my feelings, and I’m to blame, goddamn you’re brainwashed! But then you’d have to be, to support Islam and the insanity of your fellows, like above.
So these Asian cultures that don’t value freedom, they therefore want a dictatorship, hardly a false dichotomy.
In many ways, the West is responsible for the Iran’s regime. It came to power as a reaction to the abuse of the Western backed shah’s dictatorships. I have already explained the context of their behaviour, and yet again you become obsessed with their language.
If Israel has illegal nukes for defensive purposes, why can’t Iran which is surrounded by enemies? We know Saudi Arabia, their mortal enemy, could aquire nukes from Pakistan if they wanted.
NATO continually encroaches on Russia, which underscores the desirably of nukes for non NATO countries.
If you real all the quotes, some of them express untamed hostility not on the grounds of cultural critique, but because they’re not Jewish.
Again I don’t “support” Islamic cultures, and I don’t care what they do to each other. What I have demonstrated is this (a) Iran does not pose a threat to Europe or America even if they acquire nukes (b) Israel’s existence or security doesn’t pay any measurable dividends to Western populations. Ergo, there’s no reason for the West to spend time and resources confronting them.
So they can do what they want now because some things happened 4 decades ago?
Still insisting that I read between the lines! What a joke.
Because Israel aren’t threatening to wipe anyone off of the face of the Earth and its people aren’t constantly protesting to see such ends enacted.
So first you said that nukes are a deterrent, then I said that the belligerence to Russia shows that they’re not really, and then you say that NATO giving little thought to Russia’s nuclear capabilities shows that nukes are desirable??
Nice to know that some of them are slightly less hostile than the lunatics haha. And by cultural critique, do you mean sticking up for fellow Muslims over a thousand miles away just because their adversaries are non-Muslims? These same people that were silent when these ‘Palestinians’ were being fought by their Muslim neighbours?
You clearly don’t support Islam! You’re just typing everything that a supporter would say, just to confuse me right!
Israel is something of a first line of defence for Europe and the West in general. Of course this has been undercut by the left wing leaders of Europe allowing millions of ‘refugees’ to enter, with their lack of assimilation, cultural subversion (German women have been told not to wear skirts, as they may inflame the sexual desires of these animals), violence, rape etc. to non-Muslims en masse, but the principle is still there.
1. Actions have consequences. The Shah was brutal, and was clearly backed by the West. A revanchist reaction was inevitable.
2. Henry Kissinger didn’t think it was a joke. Take it up with him.
3. Nukes are an ultimate deterrent. The US steps very carefully around Russia, even though they are devoted to a colour revolution in Moscow. Note Kiev hasn’t been given lethal weapons. Why? The US is scared an escalation of the Ukraine crisis could result in a nuclear standoff. This signals to conventionally weak countries (like Iran) that nukes are a way of guaranteeing regime survival. The conclusion to be drawn is the aggressive Western posture toward Iran drives their nuclear ambitions. The more the West presses Iran, the greater the likelihood they will prioritize security over sanctions relief. America and Israel have been threatening Iran for decades. Iranian threats toward Israel have been toward the Zionist state, not individual Israelis living there. “As the Soviet Union disappeared, the Zionist regime will also vanish and humanity will be liberated” – Ahmadinejad. The Soviet Union was not ‘wiped off the face of the map’ by nukes. These threats toward Israel, which are not nuclear in nature, are part of a power game with the US. Iran has never attacked anybody in the ME. The US and Israel have. Saddam, backed by America, attacked Iran too. Then we have the hostile, paranoid GCC who can access nukes too arrayed against Iran.
4. You seem to think I’m Muslim or pro-Muslim. I’m not. I don’t want them bringing an antithetical culture into the West. I oppose the ‘invade and invite’ modus operandi. Again, there is no concrete benefit to the West taking sides in the Arab/Muslim/Jew/Shia/Sunni clusterfuck that is the Middle East. If Israel was captured by a Muslim force tomorrow, are you really suggesting the shift of a few hundred square miles of territory would dramatically affect the security of a Western state? Did the strategic alliance with Israel prevent 9/11 or any subsequent Muslim attacks in the east? No. Western destabilization of the ME in concert with Israel in combination with idiotic immigration policies did.
5. The big take away point here is ‘I don’t care.’ I don’t care if Israel is secure or it if continues to exist. I don’t care if Iran is secure or if it continues to exist. I don’t care if Saudi Arabia is secure if it continues to exist. All I care is that the West vacate a region the interference in which brings no benefit to Western populations.
Because US politicians are always so right, with you providing an example one line above about their flaws, the first of dozens of coup failures in the last few decades.
They’ve still got crippling sanctions on Russia, like Iran, they’re still not invading Iran, despite the lack of nukes, so what would nukes bring about?
Again, Iran have no business on what goes on over 1000 miles away from them, just because those of their religion were being usurped by those that are not.
“Humanity will be liberated”?? And you think that makes sense? As if Jews are causing all of the problems that Muslims are creating, the anarchy all over Europe, Muslim governments financing terrorism, against Muslims and non-Muslims, the West, China, the Philippines etc.?
If Israel was overrun, Europe would be next, as it is currently being invaded, financed by the Saudis and the like, building mosques all over and spreading their Wahhabi preachers within them, this is already happening. Israel, thankfully, is slowly this process down, however little now that Western leftie leaders are actively allowing this invasion to occur openly, without the sneaky immigration where Muslim populations in European countries have grown insidiously over the decades, they’re actively letting in millions and millions more in hordes. But before this, Israel distracted a significant amount of that animosity and even fought against Islam by empowering Jews against it. Be assured, Islam is the enemy, like you say, their culture is antithetical. They’ve tried to invade Europe more than once historically, causing the Crusades as a countermeasure, they are the ultimate threat to the world, and anyone who fights against them is an ally, which means Israel. Israel seeks to Balkanise the Muslim world, which is a good thing for us. Allowing Kurdistan regions to break up Turkey, Iraq, Syria and maybe Iran, this weakens the threat level. Kurds are as progressive as Muslims can be and they’re hated by typical Muslims, so they too are allies. Go to anywhere in Europe where Muslims are prevalent and you’ll see our future, if Israel is gone, if we relent and cease to fight back. However sloppily.
Kissinger has some genuine insights, and was one of the most able secretary of states if we put aside questions of morality.
What protects Iran is the turn of public and international opinion against wars of intervention represented by the election of Obama (who betrayed that mandate). H. Clinton is a hawk, she would certainly start something. Trump’s actual intentions are more opaque. Remember, Iran is on ‘the list’ and they know it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RC1Mepk_Sw. If nukes entered the equation, Iran would have a guarantee they would be treated with deference.
“What goes on 1000 miles from Iran”: Iran is a regional power. Israel is America’s ‘aircraft carrier n the ME’. So I’d say they do. All the major ME countries (Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Iran) attempt to shape the region toward their own ends.
“Humanity will be liberated”: I included that quote to demonstrate Iran does not envisage launching a nuclear strike. Their ‘enemy’ is political regime, not an ethnic one (there is a Jewish minority in Iran that hasn’t left). Iran can’t very well ‘liberate’ the Palestinians if they’re blown up in an atomic strike.
The West existed before the Israeli state. Where was Israel in the Reconquista? If the political will existed, Europe and America could halt all Muslim immigration tomorrow and deport existing ones. We wouldn’t need Bibi’s consent, support, or help. The real threat isn’t the Muslim states. They have neither the intention or capacity to invade the West. It’s Islam itself. If anything, secular authoritarian leaders like Assad and Gaddafi restrained political Islam. It was in the Western interest to maintain stability through those leaders. By comparison, the Israeli national interest is destroying regional competitors. The great irony is that Europe IS being overrun and Israel isn’t. Jewish neocons in the US demand open Western borders, but hypocritically support Israel’s policy of promoting the Jewish make up of Israel. Jewish intellectuals in the West are overwhelmingly left wing, and Western Jews as a whole tend to vote for left wing policies. Jewish culture is different from Western Hellenic-Christian culture just like Islam. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rA7Ymki71fM see also here: http://www.vdare.com/articles/jewish-fear-and-loathing-of-donald-trump-4-neocon-angst-about-a-fascist-america
If Israel was located between Turkey and Greece, and Jewish elites in the West didn’t support multiculturalism, you might have a point. But it doesn’t. Israel and traitorous Western elites use terrorism to further their geopolitical ambitions, which endangers Western populations through blowback. Israel doesn’t distract from the multicultural agenda. Israel supporters are its most fanatical exponents. Wake up.
But Russia aren’t treated with deference. The West couldn’t be more belligerent short of invading them. Look at their troop and missile placements in Europe, the military exercises. Supporting others fighting the Russians, starting with Afghans now with the terrorists in Syria. Nukes would not change a thing.
So Mexico should care what Peru do? What goes on in Israel is no business of Iran, and saying that other ME nations poke their noses where they don’t belong doesn’t validate anything. In fact, your examples, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, are US allies, so why should they care? What a tiny country does 1100 miles away is nothing to do with Israel, it’s like Europe, where France fears Russia, because Russia has a gigantic military capability, France rightly considers it a threat, whereas Israel is one tenth of Iran’s size, with a slew of buffers still bigger than Israel in between.
You have no idea what Iran will do, you don’t have a clue. And you know nothing about the persecution of religious minorities in Iran either.
So your counter to me mentioning the necessity of a Western buffer is that the West managed to stave off Muslims before, despite taking nearly 800 years to kick them out of Spain? Getting all the way to Tours and Vienna shows that the West don’t need all the help that they can get, like beating back the Muslims was easy?
Western politicians are left wing, they love Islam, they have no will to stop the hordes. Islamic nations are invading Europe, with the complicity of traitorous Western politicians, as I said, they’re just not covering it up anymore, they’re increasing the emigration rate. And what, one video of a single woman in some tiny, irrelevant organisation making predictions about the ethnic future of Europe tells you that all Jews hate whites and plan to dominate? That’s laughable. Muslims hate Jews, look at the growing persecution of Jews in Europe, what do Jews have to gain from surrounding themselves with their enemies? They can’t exactly just all move to Israel when the damage is done, it’s too small and again, too violent and filled with Muslims who often attack them.
Greece isn’t the only buffer between the ME and Europe, the entire Med is being used to transport ‘refugees’. Talking of Libya, Gaddafi held the extremists in check, but he also supported terrorist attacks on Europeans, and even welcomed the bomber home as a national hero, he was hardly a good guy. As out of control as the country is now, it’s so divided and against each other that it’s a fraction of the threat it used to be. Iraq will be split into shia, sunni and kurd, Syria split at least into two, the belligerence of the Muslim world is being lessened, however sloppily. Iran are trying to prevent this, which is contrary to what’s good for the Western world, although saying that, they are supporting the Yemeni Houthis, who doubtless intend to further break into Saudi Arabia and break that up, getting those persecuted Saudi Shias on side, so Iran are hardly against Balkanisation themselves. The only difference is that the Saudis and the like are stupidly helping the West stay safer by spearheading our goals, whereas Iran isn’t helping. This would be a great plan if our idiot Western leaders didn’t let the chaos spill right into Europe, but the people are waking up and sane politicians are rising to prominence rapidly.
Putin himself says Russian nukes give the Federation a clout it would not otherwise have. Take it up with him. You’re mistaking a quantitative argument for a qualitative one.
Buzan classifies regional into ‘security complexes’. The middle east is one of them. None of these countries are isolated from each other. You go on about it’s none of Iran’s business…the same could be said for Israel’s strike on Iraqi reactors. It doesn’t matter who is poking their nose where, none it is of Western concern if the region isn’t part of the West. Mexico shouldn’t care what Peru does, but certainly all the South American nations should and vice versa.
Israel isn’t a buffer to the Muslim world. Buffer states lie between security regions. Ukraine is a buffer state between NATO and Russia. Afghanistan is a buffer state between India and China. Armenia is a buffer state between Russia and Turkey.
Yes, i agree Islam is invading Europe. Jewish elites support this. Western Jews vote left wing, and their academic, entertainment, and political elites are overwhelmingly pro-multiculturalism. Look at the Jewish opposition to Trump’s anti-immigrant policies. If you think that is contrary to their self interest, ask them.
And then we come to your rather vile intent to support the continued destabilization of the Muslim world. You completely ignored my argument that stability is best served by strong Arab/Muslim states and anti-Muslim immigrant polices. Gaddafi was a wanker in his day, but in the real world of 2011 he had wholly renounced using terrorism as a weapon against the West. He and Blair were friends in fact.
So you are still no where near supporting your philosemite Middle East policy. There is no concrete interest for Western populations in supporting one actor over another in the ME (Washington stated neutrality as a general principle in his farewell speech to the American people). No Muslim state has ever possessed anyway near the economic and military capacity to attack the West – hell, we supply most of their weapons. The Islamic threat to the Western world is entirely self-inflicted through retarded immigration polices.
I’m not arguing clout, we’re going in circles, you’re not understanding what I’m saying, which is that nukes do nothing for the likes of Russia except ward off invasion, everything else is on the cards. No-one’s invading Iran without nukes, so getting nukes won’t. Change. Anything,
It is the same for Israel for interfering in Iraqi affairs, but that doesn’t nullify what Iran are doing. Imagine England interfering in the affairs of Croatia, that’s the kind of distance we’re talking about here.
It is a buffer state because as I said, it bears the brunt of eyes and anger from the Islamic world.
English Jews overwhelmingly support the Conservative Party over the more left wing Labour Party, so I don’t know about that.
Vile, to undermine those that wish to eradicate and dominate us, sure. It’s a numbers game, get a clue about this, over the last 50 years or so, Muslims nations have grown four-fold, like Egypt, which had a population of just 20m in 1960, now it’s 80m. How long before they use all of that oil money to advance their tech in addition to overwhelming us? You’re so naive about the nature of Islam, of how it’s tried to take over Europe before, more than once. As I’ve said, the destabilisation of Muslim nations has been sloppy, but getting them to kill each other to reduce their population growth until their birth rates decrease to Western rates is the only way of curbing their threat to us short of germ warfare.
Given that Iran was attacked by Iraq with the support of all major world powers at the time, particularly the United States, and that as the general Wesley Clark video I linked elaborated, they are very much on the agenda for regime change, if I put myself in the shoes of an Iranian strategic planner, nukes make a lot of sense. Read this article by a PhD historian and ex NSA officer: https://20committee.com/2013/11/28/why-iran-wants-the-bomb/
As a matter of fact, England as a member of NATO did meddle in the Balkans. Britain’s strategy for centuries has been to dick with continental Europe. Great Powers meddle in their regions. They’re the poles of the international system. Iran is the natural hegemon of the middle east, and Israel is the challenger. I can certainly see why both sides constantly interfere with each other. But what has this got to do with me or the West? Both belong to a non-Western region, in a discreet security complex. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regional_security_complex_theory If Peter and Paul are fighting and live in my neghbourhood, their conflict concerns me. If they live in Timbuktu, it doesn’t. I have no reason to meddle in their meddling/fighting with each other.
“It is a buffer state because as I said, it bears the brunt of eyes and anger from the Islamic world.” And yet they call America the ‘Great Satan.’ Israel is not part of Hellenic-Christian civilization. We have no more interest in taking a side of the Israeli/Arab conflict as we have in the Shia/Sunni divide.
The only thing ‘conservative’ about the Conservative Party is its name. Cameron acts like the Grand Mufti of London. The conservatives are simply left wingers who more purchased by oligarchs than their opposition, and they garner Jewish support because Jews are very much into the financial economy.
I’m very well versed in the nature of Islam and its historical expansions thank you very much. Higher birth rates mean more poverty and thus economic regression. By destroying stable authoritarian secular governments (Libya, Syria, Iraq), we have bred terrorism and thus increased the threat to the West. And while many Muslims are an unwelcome addition to the west via immigration, the majority in their home countries aren’t interested in launching wars of aggression in the present day. They’re still human beings and your support for what amounts to be effectively preemptive genocide is unconscionable.
Ugh, I’m not saying that England haven’t meddled, again, going in circles because you can’t understand, my point is that meddling in affairs over 1000 miles away is WRONG. Iran is WRONG to do this, Israel is none of their business, nor any Muslim country considering the travesties that occur to their particular people and minorities/other religions/sexualities etc.
If Peter’s entire religion speaks about dominating everyone else, and Peter, like Muslim nations and leaders, are fanatically religious, then this should concern you. Islam has only been suppressed by Empires, now that they’re not, they’re dangerous, and the ‘religion’ needs to be undermined to every extent before it further undermines us, like how our politicians are in the pockets of all of Saudis/Qataris etc., causing them to open Europe up to Muslims en masse in exchange for cushy jobs later in life (read up on Tony Blair).
Israel never called America “The Great Satan”, Iran did. Jews co-existed and integrated in Europe for centuries without trouble, how are they not like us? Most Jews in Israel come from the West!
I had hoped that you’d be a little less informed about the Tories now haha, it’s true that they’re very left wing now, barely less so than Labour, but maybe still wrongly see them as actual Conservatives, so supporters aren’t necessarily left wing, they just fail to notice better alternatives to Labour, like UKIP. And even UKIP, with the current electoral system in England, would struggle to break through, so it was safer in the general election to vote Tory to keep Labour out. Like I’ve said, I would’ve chosen better countries to target, rather than the likes of secular Syria.
“Poverty and economic regression”
Yemen, one of the poorest countries on Earth, mostly malnourished, are beating a coalition of the richest Gulf states. ISIS fighters receive less than $3000/year, even poverty by our standards means thriving for them. Hezbollah are apparently in financial dire straits but you wouldn’t know it seeing their campaign in Syria! Nor Russia in Syria! Higher birth rates and economic woes historically bring about conquest, as a distraction for home grown issues and prosperity from foreign invasions, it’s happened forever. Except that instead of a belligerent population of 20m, now we’ve got 80m! A little harder to deal with don’t you think? I don’t see how you can be so well informed about history and Islam, and yet wholly underestimate them.
You don’t seem to get my point that regional meddling is a fact of realpolitik. I thought I made it clear that when Peter and Paul are meddling in each other’s affairs, and both are far removed from Bill, Bill has no interest in determining who is right and who is wrong. None whatsoever. I mean, do you have a deeply held opinion on who is right in the Ethiopia Eritrea territorial dispute? Why is Israel/Iran any different?
I’m well aware of Islam’s expansionist tendencies, but you are ill informed on the way many contemporary Muslims assimilate their religion. They don’t envisage launching a state sponsored war against the West. There is a significant faction – the fundamentalists of the Muslim world who do – and we have helped nurture their growth by supporting fundie regimes (the GCC states) and destroying secular ones (Iraq, Syria, Libya). Bottom line: the only real Muslim threat is from immigration, and that is the fault of the multiculturalists and oligarchs – an INTERNAL Western problem. (Also, your little destabilization caper doesn’t factor in the way regional conflicts in oil rich regions of the world pull great powers into conflict).
The Conservatives have been socially left wing for quite some time now. That’s when the Jews started voting for them. If you study Western history you’ll find constant conflict between Jews and Christians. Jews do not assimilate, and Theodore Herzl admitted as much in his Zionist manifesto. Google ‘pogrom’. Christianity was a complete rejection of Judaism; and thus thus the Hellenic-Christian West has little in common with Jews. When Jews reach positions of influence in the West, they invariably propagate liberal ideas (except in relation to Israel!) that are an assault upon the traditional fabric of Western civilization. Just consider how many Jews were involved in the Frankfurt School…
The Houthis in Yemen are fighting an insurgent war on their own territory that is inhospitable to conventional armies. That’s wholly different from mounting a conventional war of aggression. Tito’s partisans (about 3000 in number) tied down 200,000 well trained Fascist troops in WWII. Do you think that means Tito could have invaded Germany? Power projection and and asymmetric defensive wars fall into two very distinct categories of capabilities.
Israel are the good guys? Israel, using the age old tactics of treachery, and murder stole the nation of Palestine from its rightful inhabitants. Please, don’t tell me that God gave the land to Israel. The modern Israeli is no more a biblical Jew than a Chinese.
If Israel is democracy it better watch out. The Arabs are very good at using sperm warfare, and will soon out populate the Jews. When that happens we’ll see how “democratic” Israel is.
The Israelis, and their vassal state, America, export more death, and destruction than the rest of the world combined. If it wasn’t for Israel, and America there would be peace in the middle east, and most of the rest of the world as well.
The past president of Iran never said that Israel should be wiped from the face of the earth. He said that the name Israel should be removed from the map, and the rightful name of Palestine should be returned.
So you want 300 to 400 nuclear weapons controlled by a delusional nation that views itself as God’s Chosen People? You want enough nuclear power to destroy most of the world in the arsenal of a nation where sociopaths are in control of the instruments of death? Does the Samson Option make you feel all warm. and fuzzy? You had best be careful what you wish for lest you wake up in a mushroom cloud at Aquarterpastmidnignt.
Beautifully said.
Next to no-one lived in Palestine, what you consider Palestinians were almost as new to the land as Israelis were. And when the Jews started prospering, ‘Palestinians’ emigrated there too. Secondly, the land wasn’t stolen, it was given, by the UN.
So you’re saying that when the Arabs overwhelm the Jews, the Jews have no right to fight back? Democracy will be a crutch? Luckily Muslims don’t believe in democracy (check every nation of theirs, especially the ones that wanted democracy and yet they voted in the most undemocratic people possible- Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood), so they’re exempt.
Ha, Islam, the most violent, aggressive religion since its inception, more than every other creed in the world combined, would be all about peace and love, you’re dreaming.
The meds, take them. They will help.
Pathetic troll.
Good comeback!
Yup, Barry and Aquartertoseven are Hasbara trolls. They are paid to troll around and post ridiculous nonsense.
Yep, the hasbarats are pretty much everywhere, and spreading the usual cognitive dissonance. It’s usually easy to spot them, but there are some good ones, and they are occasionally challenging. Oh well, best not to waste time on them.
Apartheid Israhell should be wiped off the map and replaced by a democratic state.
Good guys massacring their Palestinian neighbors, stealing land and razing homes that belonged to them for centuries. Scourge of the Earth, that is what they are. Stupid Americans don’t see this, too dumb.
You know the actual definition of apartheid? There is none in Israel. None. If Israel wanted apartheid, it would be apparent, but it is not. If Israel wanted genocide (G d forbid), they would have done so, because Jews are good at getting the job done. The Arab population would not have exploded and actually, no Arabs would have been left in 1948 or 1967. Read some non Nazi history. It will help. So will your meds.
Good to see that you have my back Barry, I was well and truly assailed. I don’t understand these people, they just seem to hate Jews, because they make no sense. They don’t mention how all of Israel’s neighbours hate Palestinians, with some even fighting wars with them, but should non-Muslims quarrel with them too, they all gang up on the non-believers, it’s ridiculous.
no democracy
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/192221
Lie’n , Cry’n Zion. Your argument is so outdated. The World is awake now.
You keep repeating these faux US country music lyrics as your comeback? no wonder our side keeps winning.
Your side keeps on winning? This actually made me laugh. Take a closer look at what happened the Un-mighty Israeli army in 2006 against a militia known as Hezbollah. And when Hezbollah is done in Syria(cleaning up the Israeli created and supported ISIS) it’s on to Jerusalem and Tel-Aviv. I’m just blessed to be able to witness this in the near future, God willing.
you going to lead the fight, Heshie? thought not. you blood thirsty types never pick up a gun. and you will never see Tel Aviv, other than youtube videos of Jews enjoying their lives there.
This is the idiotic Zionist script, which they parrot every time they want to brainwash their ignorant populace, they want to portray themselves as victims when they are really the agressors. Sorry, Moshe, that doesn’t work here, people who use this site have a brain.
Lie’n , Cry’in Zion. Sigh.
Hi Barack- actually, the article is pretty accurate. American people and government love Israel and Jews. One of the things that pissed them off was Obama’s ill treatment of Israel. it was genuine and grass roots. you cannot win national office in most US states unless you mention your support of Israel. No country backs the US in the UN more than Israel, even the UK. The US spends more money in South Korea than aid to Israel. There are 38k soldiers there and none in Israel. 50k US soldiers died there and none in Israel. Americans are smarter than you. Even Putin feted Bibi in Moscow by saying that Israel is a proven friend and ally (his words). this week, the Foreign Min of Russia said that Assad is NOT an ally of Russia. go back to your wet dreams of genocide. Israel will sleep pretty well.
Barry – Generally speaking, “American people” do not “love Israel and Jews”. Americans, like most people in the world despise Israel and don’t care one way or the other about Jews. Israel controls American Government via ‘Zionist control of newspapers and broadcast media, educational and financial institutions, think tanks, and a tightly knit mafia of wealthy Zionist oligarchs. Candidates for office must praise Israel or face vicious, coordinated, well-funded opposition by the Zionist mafia and it’s henchmen; their subservience is not due to popular demand among the electorate. This deplorable state of affairs is slowly changing worldwide as well as in America, and eventually Israel will lose all of it’s support. Then Israel will indeed “sleep well”, and long.
Pew research did a poll of Americans asking if they had positive or negative views of different religions. Atheism was at the bottom, just above Islam. Judaism was on top, above evangelical Protestantism. During 2014 Gaza war, with unrelenting bad news coverage, one poll quoted in WSJ had something like 36% of people on Israel’s side. Seems bad, except 0.5% supported Hamas and the rest did not care. Israel survived from 1948-1973 without significant American aid. It would probably be better off with US aid now, since it is the one sticking point for an American public that for the most part supports it. The rest of your screed is delusional conspiracy theory nutjob tinfoil stuff, so, ’nuff said.
Hostile neighbors? That’s an even more stupid comment. With or without U.S. aid, Israel’s fate is sealed, like Mr. Ahmadinejad said; to the waste-bin of history, where it belongs. Failed racist experiment.
Ha, like all Muslim countries aren’t racist, the difference is that Israel is democratic and doesn’t treat women like shit.
Muslims racist? Jews and Christians lived peacefully among Muslims/Arabs for over 1000 years. We didn’t bomb, kill and put said people in open air concentration camps. Even learned Jews know that Jews learned enlightenment during Islam’s Golden Era. Israel -Democracy=oxymoron at best. Israel is a failed miserable blood-soaked experiment that needs to be terminated. The vast majority of the World’s people agree. Your comment is arrogant; your type’s Achilles heel.
Only so long as they paid the jizya. Second class citizens, wow, that’s AWESOME! How about in Egypt, were Christians are constantly attacked on the street, or in Saudi Arabia where Christianity is banned? That’s funny, I was thinking that “Islam’s Golden Era” was an oxymoron. Where are the Islamic democracies then? They don’t exist. Not one.
*The vast majority of Muslims and self-hating lefties agree on that, but not sane people. I’m arrogant haha, says the one that thinks the most despicable, oppressive religion on the planet is worth arguing for and even better than another.
Yes, Israel’s fate of being the strongest military, best air force, biggest hi tech, space program, burgeoning economy, most patents in the world after the US, and blossoming alliances around the world…that fate? yup, it is sealed. meanwhile, your nation’s greatest export is misery. cheers.
don’t forget best at killing women and children. But when real men like Hezbollah faced your pitiful Israel, they ran away. Strongest military- good at killing innocent civilians, Best Air force – bombing civilians, Biggest high tech- not even close, and whatever high tech there is, was stolen, Burgeoning economy – ya, that’s why Israel begs and gets 3-5 billion from American taxpayers, Most patents in the World after U.S.- this is ridiculous at best, most stolen from others, Blossoming Alliances around the World- Israel was declared a racist Zionist state by the General Assembly(some 173 Nations +) and outside of subservient Western governments, have no allies. Even Western peoples are sick of Zionism/Israel. Your Israel is, has and will always be the mother, father of terrorism (911, other false flags) Yup, its sad fate IS sealed.
The strengths you just mentioned of Israel Barry, are its greatest weaknesses. Ditto with my nation, USA: Namely: “strongest military, best air forces, biggest high tech, space program (hello Star Wars), blossoming alliances around the world mainly in so called “defense.”).
I grew corporate ladder in Silicon Valley and loved it—-but will explain why this is also a weak spot for both nations, Israel is now Silicon Valley’s biggest competitor. Because USA has sold it’s sexy high-tech soul to Israel’s “defense” sector. We are a war economy, as is israel. If you really think that is something that “protects” us, or is helping to bring world peace, you are entirely mistaken. War is for profit, nothing else really.
we can continue the media, political and business manipulated mindset that our neighbors are all “hostile,”, or awaken our minds, hearts and souls to the fact WE (USA and israel) are the occupiers, the invaders, with our violence for profit capitalistic markets under some religiously radical notion we are on God’s “mission.” to carry out biblical fairytales glorifying war. Time for some change, USA should stop ALL “military aid” to israel and the other 19+ countries we shell our tax dollars to, and instead invest in the social good of our own people. Why continue to send every girl and boy in Israel off to war, and increasingly doing so in USA? Hunger Games must end.
The USA’s subservience to Israeli belligerence drags America down and makes the world more dangerous
Hi Mad – No, the USA is not subservient to Israel. Nor is it subservient to allies in which it stations massive numbers of troops, spends billions of dollars to support, or has had soldiers die in defense of, such as UK, Italy, Germany, South Korea, Japan, Belgium, Australia, Philippines, etc. 3 billion? The US spends that much in a week on fuel in Afghan. somehow, i do not see you accusing them of wagging the dog. wonder why? oh yeah, Jews.
Hi Bad, the USA doesn’t give aid to Europe these days. Europe isn’t in breach of UN resolutions occupying and ethnically cleansing oppressed peoples. Plenty of Jews are anti Israeli aggression. I’ve even talked to Israelis who are deeply worried about the racism in their country.
A quick Google says the US spent 35bn in Afghanistan in 2015, so no, that isn’t 3bn a week, and it’s not just fuel, it’s bombs and it’s soldiers salaries. And yes, the USA should pull out of there as well.
The US spends billions to maintain the bases and the soldiers who get paid bonuses for being overseas. it is way more than 3 billion per year. The second part was hyperbole.
Indeed, the US does spend billions on its bases, most of which are positioned to project violence into Central Asia, the Middle East, and potentially against Russia and China. That doesn’t change the fact that America’s favourite pet is an apartheid state due to the fences it builds across the west bank, that the pro-Israel lobby has most Senators and Representatives in its pay, and that Gaza is a giant concentration camp that is constantly blockaded, brutalised and bombed. All these crimes paid for with American tax dollars.
and by the way, that 35 bn number seems awfully low. that might be just military support. probably does not include the billions sent to the govt (which often ends up in Dubai banks and hotel rooms). and considering that in 2015, the US had only 8k soldiers or so in the country, imagine how much was spent during the height of the war a few years ago.
I think the 35bn might have been a budget set before the situation worsened.
Still, the Israeli brutalisation of Palestine is not hyperbole. Its racism, ethnic cleansing and apartheid in the West Bank, and blockade, bombs and on-off warfare in Gaza. Extreme cruelty supported by orientalist zionism.
Time to stop supporting the Zionist-surpremisist, and start standing up against anti-Japetic bigotry. Save Russia and European indigenous tribal peoples! http://stop30billion.org/