WN: The irony of the statement that Democrats think, “if only conservative Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could be removed from power, Israel would align more closely with dovish U.S. policy preferences in the Middle East.” is arresting. If the author or anyone thinks that anywhere in the world or American history there are/have been dominantly “dovish U.S. policy preferences. . .,” not only are such dreaming, they stand in stark contrast to the violent foreign policy the U.S. has pursued since inception!
For over sixty-five years, the United States war machine has been on automatic pilot. Since World War II we have been conditioned to believe that America’s motives in ‘exporting’ democracy are honorable, even noble.
In this startling and provocative book, William Blum, a leading dissident chronicler of US foreign policy and the author of controversial bestseller Rogue State: A Guide to the Worlds Only Superpower, argues that nothing could be further from the truth.
Moreover, unless this fallacy is unlearned, and until people understand fully the worldwide suffering American policy has caused, we will never be able to stop the monster.
“When will we ever learn?” — Pete Seeger
excerpts:
TEL AVIV — “I believe we should have been much more aggressive concerning the Hezbollah,” a prominent Israeli politician told me last week, referring to the terrorist group that has been firing rockets and artillery at Israel’s north since the Hamas attack in Israel’s south on Oct. 7. The speaker is not a right-wing politician, mind you, or a centrist, but the would-be leader of Israel’s leftmost political party (minus Arab parties).
Yair Golan was the No. 2 general in the Israel Defense Forces from 2014 to 2017. He then became a member of Israel’s parliament for Meretz, the most progressive party on the Israeli political spectrum. In 2023, Golan helped lead the mass protests against conservative-led attempts to curb the power of Israel’s liberal-leaning judiciary.
When news broke of a Hamas invasion the morning of Oct. 7, Golan drove to the scene in his Toyota and rescued Israelis fleeing the music festival massacre, a daring mission that was widely covered in the Israeli media. Now, he is the favorite to lead the left-wing Zionist bloc in the next Israeli general election, whenever it happens. (The Labor Party primary is May 28.)
Democrats in Washington often seem to assume that if only conservative Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could be removed from power, Israel would align more closely with dovish U.S. policy preferences in the Middle East. They misunderstand Israel. The hawkish impulses even at the progressive frontier of Israeli politics show the depth of the Jewish state’s consensus that its security situation is dire.
Wayne Northey was Director of Man-to-Man/Woman-to-Woman – Restorative Christian Ministries (M2/W2) in British Columbia, Canada from 1998 to 2014, when he retired. He has been active in the criminal justice arena and a keen promoter of Restorative Justice since 1974. He has published widely on peacemaking and justice themes. You will find more about that on this website: a work in progress.
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WN: The irony of the statement that Democrats think, “if only conservative Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could be removed from power, Israel would align more closely with dovish U.S. policy preferences in the Middle East.” is arresting. If the author or anyone thinks that anywhere in the world or American history there are/have been dominantly “dovish U.S. policy preferences. . .,” not only are such dreaming, they stand in stark contrast to the violent foreign policy the U.S. has pursued since inception!
For over sixty-five years, the United States war machine has been on automatic pilot. Since World War II we have been conditioned to believe that America’s motives in ‘exporting’ democracy are honorable, even noble.
