[lbo-talk] Bush admin pressed Brits to arrest suspects

Michael Hoover mhhoover at gmail.com
Tue Aug 15 09:29:55 PDT 2006


On 8/15/06, Carl Remick <carlremick at hotmail.com> wrote:
> Arguably Israel had strategic value to the US as America's regional
> representative during the Cold War. Israel is now perhaps America's
> greatest global liability. Rather than helping to secure America's access
> to Mideast oil, Israel has endangered it. Israel's endless hostility toward
> the Palestinians, its brutal treatment of the Lebanese, etc. appear the
> leading reason the Islamic world hates the US so -- the main cause Islamic
> terrorism exists at all.
>
> Here's the best part: The US doesn't have to spend a lot of money to win
> over the Islamic world and drastically reduce the incentive for terrorism.
> In fact the US can achieve these aims by *saving* money, simply by
> Carl

re. cold war lens...

eisenhower administration's relations - particularly during first term - with israel were a bit testy, the prez himself questioned truman's decision to recognize the israeli state, some of his advisers thought being too-close to israel might be a liability, ike pressured israel to withdraw from the sinai peninsula following '56 war...

eisenhower by no means abandoned israel and, in fact, began to sow seeds of what would become the 'special relationship' during his second term, decision to do so was based on early success of pro-israel congressional lobby that emerged around sinai situation *and* changing perception about necessity of anti-soviet arab unity...

dulles told arab states they had to choose sides, resulting eisenhower doctrine of 'protecting' arab states from 'communist aggression' wedded u.s. to supporting regimes no less oppressive than those it has opposed

u.s./israeli 'special relationship' did not really begin until '67, direct result of conscious decision in aftermath of 'six day war', the quick success of this israel 'pre-emptive' strike - act of aggression that international relations types euphemistically call 'preventive war' - convinced u.s. policy elites of israel's abiliity to serve as regional deputy...

vietnam war costs led u.s. to consider the use of such deputies to police "radical nationalist" states, while israel was principal u.s. middle east surrogate, egypt became increasingly important as it reversed course from soviets to u.s. during the '70s...

shah pahlavi's iran was u.s. surrogate as well, purpose was to check 'radical' iraq, block soviet overland access to region, police oil-rich persian gulf...

algerian/bahrain/kuawaiti/saudi arabian regimes have had u.s. support to repress domestic popular movements, u.s. regional domination is domination sustained by relations with a handful of elites... mh



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