From: Mark Steven Heyman (markheyman@infoproconsulting.com)
Date: Sat May 29 2004 - 02:49:05 BST
Hi Wim,
msh said:
'Think globally; act locally. ... It's a matter of where and how my
efforts will be most fruitful.'
'What I do about it is engage in exchanges like this one, and all the
others in this forum, and other forums as well. I guess you'd say
I'm involved in the education process.'
win said:
I'm very sympathetic to that phrase, but on the internet it is less
valid...
msh says:
Which phrase? Think globally; act locally? The education process?
How does the internet make either of them less valid?
msh continued 26 May:
'the influence that non-rational belief holding Americans have on
American foreign policy is negligible, if not nil. The very rational
people behind American policy are far more dangerous and, therefore,
warrant far more attention, IMO.'
wim asks:
Do you see rational reasons behind US sustained support
for Israel for instance?
msh says:
Sure. All sorts of reasons. Primarily because the US has been
pumping billions into Israel for 50 years, allowing it to become the
modernized "democracy" you describe but, much more important, by far
the most powerful country in the ME. It is, for all intents and
purposes, an off-shore US military base. It would be very
irrational, literally very bad business indeed, to blow off that
kind of asset.
Now, if you are asking why the US sided with Israel in the first
place, it can't be because of some cabal of Christian Fundamentalists
and their powerful lobby, because there was no such thing. It's more
closely related to nearly identical views on how to project western
capitalist power into the ME.
Wim, this has been written about in great detail in Chomsky's
"Fateful Triangle," especially Chapter 2, which examines the
beginnings of the so called "special relationship" between Israel and
the US. You might also find useful Edward Said's "The Question of
Palestine."
wim said:
US access to oil in the Middle East and Central Asia would be better
served with choosing the Islamic/Arabian side in its conflict with
Jews claiming Israel/Palestine for themselves.
msh says:
As stated above, it would be irrational to switch horses at this
point of the stream. Especially since, as should be abundantly clear
by now, the US intends to dominate the ME by force. Their off-shore
military base is a invaluable strategic asset in their plans.
wim asked:
Jews in the US represent too few voters to explain that massive US
support for Israel. Isn't it the much more numerous fundamentalist
Christians, who want support for Israel for irrational reasons, that
explains it?
msh says:
Hardly. First, I think you underestimate the scope of support for
Israel. This spectrum includes major segments of the liberal
community, the leadership of labor unions, American Zionists and less
extreme Jews of course, conservatives who favor a powerful state
geared toward military production generating industrial wealth at
home and adventurism abroad, and impassioned new "cold warriors" who
now have shifted their enemy from the USSR to Terrorism.
And, yes, some of the WWR, although this seems strange to me since
they hate Jews for killing their savior, an odd kind of hatred since
the whole thing was God's idea in the first place, you know? Maybe
some of them, as you suggest, hate Muslims more and just want to
hasten the Apocalypse.
Still, my position is that you overestimate the power that ANY of
these groups have, except perhaps the industrial-adventurists.
Chomsky, from "Fateful Triangle chapter 2: "... the argument much
overestimates the pluralism of American politics and ideology. No
pressure group will dominate access to public opinion or maintain
consistent influence over policy-making unless its aims are close to
those of elite elements with real power."
Hope this is helpful,
Mark Steven Heyman
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