Iran
benefitted from Bush's invasion disaster but now the manufactured drop in oil
prices is devastating the enemies of America and started to change the dynamic
once again.
The old
tension between US and Israeli administrations is hyped right now. It comes and
goes. Things were pretty bad under Yitzhak Shamir and I'm sure Obama's advisors
had that episode in mind with regard to Netanyahu. Shamir had been irritating
the US for some time with his policies and he resisted peace talks to be held
in Spain. The first Bush administration put financial pressure on him, he gave
in and it led to the collapse of his government and a call for elections.
Obama has
proven unskillful in this regard and Netanyahu with his Republican allies has
mopped the floor with him.
We'll see
what happens in the remaining two years of Obama's presidency.
There's been
a long debate over who controls whom... do the Israeli's give the orders or
does the United States? I think that's an oversimplification of a dynamic
situation. The relationship ebbs and flows, there are many facets to modern
power, and the situation constantly changes. There are economics, political
timetables, opposition parties, and many other factors which shape the
situation. The current formula just happens to be a particularly bad one. Obama
is not the Leftist appeaser he's made out to be. He's proven quite bloody and
militant but he's also trying to fix a couple of ongoing geopolitical
situations that have proven dead ends. There's a chance to shift, allowing
Obama and many planners to do what they really want and that's move toward the
Far East. Solving the Cuba problem and the longstanding tension with Iran would
go a long way toward helping this. The situation with Iran is at a unique
moment. The Middle Eastern situation is such that there's actually a chance in
brokering a deal and its being sabotaged by the Israelis and the American war
machine.
The Iranians
have every reason to hate and distrust the United States and there's been a
long simmering low-grade war between the nations. In terms of the diplomacy
it's all smoke and mirrors when it comes to the Western media. They won't
address or even cover the real issues at stake! Nuclear Proliferation? What
about Israel and their cache of undeclared nuclear arms... not to mention the
fact that it's pretty much common knowledge that they were seriously
considering using them in 1973?
Many would
point to the acquisition of nuclear weapons as an example of Israel's
independence and self-determination apart from the United States. Initially it
was not the US, but the French who were helping Israel. And when de Gaulle came
into power and subsequently US-French relations turned sour (as well as
Franco-Israeli relations) the Israelis were aided by the British but later became
close allies and true comrades with... irony of ironies racist Apartheid South
Africa who was also a close ally and proxy for the United States.
The debate
is whether the CIA orchestrated and arranged these relationships including the
Israel's supply of uranium and plutonium, or did Israel indeed chart their own
course in defiance of Washington? There's the official history, then there's
the CIA which acting in the role of Praetorian Guard has long charted its own
path.
After 1989
the chessboard was rearranged and yet there are still these lingering issues.
Obama's administration has tried desperately to clear the board once more and
turn away from the Middle Eastern project of the 1990s and 2000s. Obama and
many others in power see the new (and sad to say, desired) Cold War taking
place in the Pacific theatre but to shift East they have to wrap up and pacify
the complicated situation in the Middle East. A deal with Iran could go a long
way toward solving the problems in Iraq and Syria as well as the ongoing
tensions in the Persian Gulf... and ultimately even the disaster occurring in
Yemen.
One person
stands in the way and that's Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies within the
American Right.
It may seem
ironic to some, but Likud has transformed itself into a militant, nationalist
and racist party with expansionist aims. We don't need to be afraid to label it
for what it is... fascist. And therefore it is no surprise at all that his
heaviest support comes from the likeminded Christian Right which for
geopolitical, ideological and in many cases theological reasons shares
Netanyahu's vision.
This is not
to suggest that Netanyahu is a reincarnation of Hitler or Mussolini or that he
represents that level of threat. Yet there are many pertinent and relevant
analogies. Even the settlement mentality and the accompanying policies are
reminiscent of Hitler's Lebensraum.
History is
stranger than fiction. If you made this stuff up, it would be deemed
incredible. I contend what happened in 1930's Europe was foreseeable and in
line with the general trend of the 19th century. The extremist
manifestation/reaction of Fascism was generated by crisis. That's a lesson
pertinent to Israel's power regarding the Middle East and for the people of the
United States. For those that think it could never happen here would do well to
think again. I personally know many Christians who I am convinced that if
living in 1930's Germany would have been zealous promoters of the Third Reich.
Here's the
Margolis article:
