Surviving Capitalism (Not) : Return of the Kissinger model

We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Return of the Kissinger model

by Adel Safty from Gulf News.

The author reports facts and provides a sound interpretation to reveal that the Obama administration is pursuing the same old strategies to maintain Israeli interests in the Middle East. The appointment of a prominent Zionist, Dennis Ross, to lead the "Israeli-Palestinian peace process" insures that no change will occur in US Middle East policies under this "change" President.

The removal of urgency and the restoration of the Kissingerian approach are not the only successes that Israel and its friends in America have scored. The recent elevation by the Obama administration of Dennis Ross to the position of influential adviser to the president in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process is another.

Ross is known for his activism on behalf of Israel and for the role he played as an agent for a foreign government when he was chairman of the Jewish People Policy Planning Institute in occupied Jerusalem — an organ of the Israeli government. At the Israeli Palestinian negotiations sponsored by Bill Clinton at Camp David, Ross's role was described as that of Israel's lawyer.

See also this and this.

Like most of Obama's policies and appointments, I maintain my thesis that he, like many of his predecessors, is only an "acting" President. The real decisions are made by ruling class figures behind him. That is precisely why the transition from Bush Jr. to Obama has been seamless and nothing of significance has changed. We still see the never ending wars and unrelenting attacks on social safely nets. The same ruling class is in charge, just different actors on stage.