>>> jlbaird3 at yahoo.com 10/14/00 03:17PM >>>
> Yes. But support for Israel doesn't help accomplish
> that...
>
This is one thing I've never been able to figure out about U.S. support for Israel: why? What U.S. interest does it serve? Of course, the conventional line is "we have to protect the only democracy in the region", which is so much gibberish, but ideas like Chomsky's that Israel is the "local cop on the beat" to keep the muslims in line, don't really seem to wash either.
>From a pure U.S. imperialist standpoint, the Israeli's
seem to stir up more trouble than they're worth. The
only explanation I can come up with is the power of
the Zionist lobby - but that makes me sound like a
neo-nazi fulminating about vast Jewish conspiracies.
Does anyone have any concrete explanation for why the
U.S. continually shoots itself in the foot supporting
an ally that seems to serve no strategic purpose?
(((((((((((((
CB: I don't have a complete answer, but it is true that the U.S. has "supported" other factors in the region such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. At one time the U.S. gave aid to Iraq. U.S. support of Israel did not prevent these countries from accepting support and playing roles favorable to U.S. interests at a given time. It is a dynamic game of divide and rule. Originally, I believe, it was more Britain that supported Israel. Also, what other countries in the area would be willing to play the role of gendarme as Israel does ?
To an extent the U.S. has no choice. There are no other mass Euro-American settler populations in the region. It is like South Africa and Rhodesia in Southern Africa during apartheid. There were no other white settler populations which the U.S. had thereby a closer colonialist/imperialist affinity with. Also, in a reverse sense, the Israeli settler colony needs the U.S. support desparately, more than any other country in the area, so from the U.S. standpoint, it is a more reliable ally.