Dog Wagging

Chomsky has responded to an article making the rounds these days about
the Israeli Lobby. Always scary territory given the reflexive charge of anti-semitism when raised, The Red and the Black has always thought the idea of a small colonial outpost of ethno/religious zealots and their minions as puppeteer of the US empire as preposterous. It just goes against all logical analysis of history, institutional behavior and our favorite, economic determinism.

The view from these shores sees a well organized lobby no doubt with high levels of monetary contributions to the war parties, particularly the Democrats, and lots of voters (high turnout for a small group of people) in the Northern suburbs and cities in strategic states, New York, New Jersey, California, Illinois, Florida, etc... As well as high voter turnout pro-Zionist Jews have organized well with AIPAC being one of the most powerful organizations in Washington as well as lots of Israel supporters willing to do battle on campus, in letters to the editor, at the Rotary Club or any other venue that will hear them. This gives you power particularly when the interests of Israel and the US merge in the Middle East and other places, say Guatemala or Argentina, where the US doesn't want its fingerprints on the slaughter.

The current regime, since the 1940's, has seen the liberal democratic state of Israel as a kindred spirit and in the end more trustworthy than the Arab or Persian mass and although there are dissidents here in there that are Arabist the foreign policy elite believe that Israel will do what the US wants.

Co-interests internationally seem to be the drivers of US support for Zionism as well as domestic considerations but if Israel steps out of line, like they did at Suez or with Bush I, the US will say so and Israel will quickly change course.

No tail waging here.

Michael Nuemann weighs in.

A discussion of the issue at MaxSpeak.

More from Paul Woodward.