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Martin,
I have enjoyed the site and the attached message board immensely. I won't bother going on and on about how 'I may not agree with everything', because I believe it would be redundant, assuming as I do that the spirit of your site is thinking for oneself in the first place.
Two points to be made in re of the subject of this correspondence:
I. I believe (and I will take pains not to come off as a crazed conspiracy theorist, which I'm not) that the main reasoning from the U.S. - Federal - perspective, Israel is a Mid-Eastern stronghold from which, at least attempt, to control matters in that region. Although the creation of Israel was a multinational effort, the U.S. quickly made itself the prominent father figure in the weening and maturation of the state of Israel. Close relationships with its leaders, painstaking and effective military advice, and while we're on the topic - practically all its military hardware -- the rewards for running a democracy which opposes those whom we (Americans - sorry Martin, I appologize for the low gas mileage I get with my car) too oppose. From this aspect we treated them as we did South Vietnam (minus the 10 years of military buildup) and Afghanistan or Iraq; “Y'all trying to kill those bastards? Well hot damn, we've been looking for an excuse for years! Tell ya what, we'll give you the tools to do it right. We'll even show you how to use 'em.” We went farther with Israel though. The reason being that Israel could be 'trusted', at least in a Machiavellian way, to continue through the years to fight the good fight of infidel killing in the name of reclaiming the holy land. As I attempt to add levity to the situation do not think that I believe that it's all a bunch of anti-Arab rhetoric giving impetus to the US' dealings with Israel.
I believe that most of the US policy in that region is aimed at shaping the area toward that which is best suited to America's interests currently and in the future. That is why we are in Iraq, that is why we have been dealing with the Russians as we have, and that is why we do not return to isolationism in the first place. We go outside our borders for the gain of America. The British went left their insular rock for the gain of Great Britain. Operation Barbarossa was designed for the gain of Germany. Banks are there for the gain of the bankers, not so people can have a more convenient way of paying bills and storing money, but I digress. The Jewish-American establishment does hold sway in US policy though, regardless of American foreign policy, but I do believe that both sides want a lot of the same things - Israel as a superpower (from the Jewish perspective) and Israel as a superpower that owes us many, many favors (from the US perspective, which can often lean towards seeing a growing number of other countries as indentured-servant-states - you really think you would've won WWII without us...i jest...sure you've never heard that one).
II. The vast majority is not politically interested or motivated to be so. Democracy is supposed to be the people governed by the people. But the people regards the entire population of a country, whereas in reality it is only a small group who are ambitious and effective enough to convince the other people who really make the decisions. This is all obvious to any westerner with ears and eyes, but it is a recurring frustration to those with whom it actually registers in their brain. So how do you change it? Why would you change it?
To the question why, I would answer that it depends on who you're asking. Those who benefit from this current state of affairs would say not to and probably would fight against it. Americans are too absorbed with reality t.v. and their personal lives to pick up a newspaper for reasons other than their horoscope and the comics. When they do come into contact with the current affairs of the world they rarely register the implications of these events and situations. Those who do are left to post messages on the internet in hopes that something less nihilistic will come of it all. Alas,
Dolf Lewis
Sorry for the delay, I've got 60 unreplied to emails to sort out, that might explain why this message is a bit strange.
I'm not sure how that oil fired conspiracy theory is meant to work. Britain was reliant on grain from America and Canada for most of the twentieth century. That didn't lead Britain to become an enemy of America or to plot with the enemies of America. Why should there be a difference between America's partial dependence on Arab oil and Britain's partial dependence on American grain? Japan relies on oil and coal imports to survive but Japan has not set out to make an enemy of its chief suppliers. Now I come to think of it I cannot think of a single example in history of any country ever setting out to make a major trade partner into an enemy. What possible benefit would there be for that? It's crazy strategy. The last nation the USA should be allied to is one which annoys its major supplier of its most important import.
The idea that America is exporting democracy is nonsense. That idea is shot to pieces by America's aggressive and high-handed attacks on democratic countries in South America who didn't toe the line of narrow (and narrow-minded and short-sighted) US interests. Also where is the condemnation of abuses of democracy in nations such as Zimbabwe and Pakistan?
The USA acts like a puppet of Israel. This is caused by the unholy alliance between Jewish-Americans and the fundamentalist religious right. If America wants a sensible solution to the Israeli problems they would find it considerably cheaper to offer all Israeli citizens a free farm in Utah or Southern California and a $5,000 a year pension for life on top of the benefits of US citizenship. If any want to stay in Palestine let them, at their own risk, nothing to do with America.
It makes much more sense for conspiracy theories to be centred on the needs to maintain the illusion of a major external threat. America was very slow to mobilize its economy to war production during the second world war, it never came close to the war footing that Britain had adopted by 1941, however its military build up had a startling effect on the economy, an effect that America has become addicted to as surely as any crack addict. The cold war and the space race were excellent strategies to keep the American economy bubbling along on an otherwise unsustainable level.
The American right has become addicted to the powerful effects of maintaining a high level of military spending. It stimulates the economy in a good way, giving money to the rich and those in work rather than wasting it on the poor or needy. It keeps otherwise unemployable ill-educated young males off the streets and puts them on other people's streets instead. It drives capitalism and yet does so in a way that favours US-owned companies and the defence sector who are intimately related to the military arms of the government. It is perfectly natural and nobody is openly conspiring or cackling like a cartoon villain. It is a systemic conspiracy. It is axiomatic for those in that mind-set that America needs to spend a lot on defence and therefore there must be a threat, if it can't be seen then it is more insidious and sinister.
Pissing off the Arabs is a good way of keeping up tensions that help lubricate the system. There are no credible enemies on the scene: Russia and China are far too busy building up their capitalist style economies to be giving much opposition to a superpower. Rogue states are never as rogue or their leaders as unhinged as they all like to make out. The only credible bogeyman on the international scene is the green menace of Islamic terrorism. They are a piss-poor threat but they relish the role they have been given and are not about to tell the world how puny they really are.
Israel is not a good ally of the US. It is a terrible ally. Where are the US bases in Israel? What kind of tanks do the Israelis drive? Israeli tanks. What kind of aircraft? Israeli versions of French aircraft. Guns? Come on, you know who invented the Uzi. In what way has Israel been a base for the exporting of democracy into the Middle East? I'm buggered if I can tell you. US foreign and defence policy is run according to the needs of Israel. Israeli foreign and defence policy is run for the benefit of Israel. That's all they have in common.
Can you remember the last time Israeli troops took part in any international military alliance? Sorry, that was a trick question. It has never happened.
The last time I checked with the CIA's website Israel had a gross domestic product $100 per head per year less than that of South Korea. South Korea was a net contributor to foreign aid, Israel was a net beneficiary, to a huge scale, almost every penny from the USA. South Korea is a good ally of the US. It's a two way street. Britain is a great ally, we house your airbases we refuel your bombers we provide live fire target practice for your A10s (more UK troops killed by Americans than by Iraqis in the active phase of the war) we vote for your resolutions and we accept your apologies at face value. What does Israel do? Britain is the faithful bulldog who would hang on to the throat of your enemy until its last breath, Israel is the dyed pink poodle that craps on your neighbours lawns and gets you into fights but would run around yapping and hump the leg of any intruders. Israel isn't even a fair-weather friend, Israel is a parasite.
How's this for a smart strategy:
1) Become dependent on a small group of countries who don't particularly like you.
2) Find the greatest enemy of these countries and declare your undying devotion to it.
3) Give that country the benefit of every doubt and all the money you can afford, and then some more.
4) Declare your puzzlement when other countries think you are crazy.
Martin Willett
http://mwillett.org/