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

Monday, February 17, 2014

The Folly of Arming Israel

Click here to access article by Chase Madar from TomDispatch. (If you wish to skip Turse's introduction to the article, it will be necessary to scroll down to the article.)

 This is another illustration of a liberal take on the long-standing huge US aid to Israel amounting to nearly a quarter-trillion dollars.
The arming and bankrolling of a wealthy nation committing ethnic cleansing has something to offend conservatives, progressives, and just about every other political grouping in America. After all, how often in foreign policy does strategic self-interest align so neatly with human rights and common decency?

Intelligent people can and do disagree about a one-state versus a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine. People of goodwill disagree about the global BDS campaign. But it is hard to imagine what kind of progress can ever be made toward a just and lasting settlement between Israel and Palestine until Washington quits arming one side to the teeth.
As usual, here we another lengthy hand-wringing about the immorality of such aid, but the benign intentions of the US (while avoiding any reference to the ruling capitalist class) remain intact. One might conclude from this article that such considerations as "human rights and common decency" and "a just and lasting settlement between Israel and Palestine" might have something to do with shaping Empire policies and serving the interests of our ruling class. Could it be that our leaders are just stupid?
The arming and bankrolling of a wealthy nation committing ethnic cleansing has something to offend conservatives, progressives, and just about every other political grouping in America. After all, how often in foreign policy does strategic self-interest align so neatly with human rights and common decency?

Intelligent people can and do disagree about a one-state versus a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine. People of goodwill disagree about the global BDS campaign. But it is hard to imagine what kind of progress can ever be made toward a just and lasting settlement between Israel and Palestine until Washington quits arming one side to the teeth.
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