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So Israel is being asked/tasked to do the US's dirty work in Iran

Reader comment on item: U.S. to Israel: You Decide Nukes in Iran, We Decide Bedrooms in Jerusalem

Submitted by Jon (France), Jul 8, 2009 at 12:43

The Web is bouncing with infomercials about the common interests of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Israel, and about a "no-see no tell" authorisation for Israel to attack Iran. This seems possible but is it the whole story ? Probably not.

I think that the Saudis don't really give a rat about the Israelis or the Palestinians. The Saudis care about the maintenance of the family in power. They are on the other hand very worried about the Persians.

Iran is acting through intermediaries the Hamas and the Hez, and the Syrians in such a way that the Al Saud family is being put under pressure. The potential for a Shia uprising in Saudi itself is highly uncomfortable for them.

The fact that the always malevolent (ie anti Arab) Persia is getting stronger is frightening for the family business planners.

The Saudis probably operate on the dimension where "an enemy of your enemy is your friend (at least for today)". That is why they are, in private (and since when do the Family do stuff in public ?) very happy that the Israelis might take out their enemies. Their vision is short term, or medium term (up to 20 years max).

The Israelis on the other side of this equation are in a less comfortable situation, for they are deeply convinced that the Persians are potentially their friends, and that it is just the regime which is an enemy.

They would much rather the Persians become a big power, and linked to them, dominate the Arab countries. The Israeli strategic perspective is minimum 50 years.

They are particularly loath to attack Iran, now, because they see the seeds of a collapse of the religious dictatorship.

Obviously if they have to, they will take out the Iranian nuclear programme, but just as obviously would prefer not to have to.

Had the US "done the dirty work" under Bush, the US would have alienated Iran, and the Israelis could have benefited from that. Now the US is manoeuvring so that the Israelis do the dirty work, and the US benefits.

Mr. Obama would like to make sure that the Israelis not become hegemonic in the Mid East, as the US gets out of Irak and in the future Afghanistan. The US vision is of a necessary strategic retrenchment out of the Mid East, as budgetary constrains make a long term presence inconceivable.

The Israelis have been building a major relationship with the Indians, and completing this with the Persians (whose language group is the same as that of India ...) would present a check mate to Arab power, indefinitely, and would be worrying for long term US oil supplies and US oil majors, never mind strategic implications. All that stands between a Persia friendly to Israel, and unfriendly to most Arab states is the Ayatollahs.

Mr. Obama therefore has to support the Ayatollahs against the democrats in Iran, and fight against regime change there, to the extent of visibly aligning the US against Israel.

I would add to the above analysis that the Chinese are very much on the same side as the US. The Chinese, particularly now that they are the largest investors in the US treasury market, have congruent interests to the US, plus an insatiable need for Oil, and no particular interest in anything else in the Mid East.

They would be extremely uncomfortable with the Israel India Persia axis, particularly since this would suck in the Russians at some point, who have every interest in this type of scenario. The Russians probably see themselves "loosing India" as a client state which paid for weapons, and as a foot in the Southern Seas, which might be important to interdict China at some point. They also have a rapidly declining population which means that soon they will be out of the game.

Expect perhaps the KGB to assist the Mossad ...... to do regime change in Iran .... that would be quite a combination !

Submitting....

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Reader comments (33) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
The Israelis are taking only a minute portion of what is theirs! [118 words]Jay DuncanMar 30, 2010 01:11170762
Hussein Obama struggles not to deal with Iran untill his mandate is over- so the culpabitility will fall upon others. [78 words]YnnatchkahJul 27, 2009 15:00159350
The New Nuclear Cold War [170 words]Stepehn HughesJul 23, 2009 00:36159183
Israel , and Israel alone should decide how she will survive ! [84 words]Phil GreendJul 19, 2009 03:13159004
Best interest of whom? [18 words]JohnJul 16, 2009 19:24158926
I believe that in the interest of consistency we should order Israel to surrender it's nuclear arsenal. [27 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
GreywulfJul 16, 2009 09:43158913
Weakening Israel [342 words]Fay VoshellJul 14, 2009 11:07158837
Whiny Petulance [108 words]danJul 14, 2009 05:18158826
No difference at all [119 words]Lars NielsenJul 13, 2009 17:22158810
US policy toward Israel is perfectly consistent [332 words]Fay VoshellJul 12, 2009 12:50158780
Ms Voshell is right, but the question is consistent with what ? [245 words]JonJul 15, 2009 06:47158780
Theolgical/political logistics [369 words]Fay VoshellJul 17, 2009 09:47158780
Politics and theology in Iran [313 words]JonJul 21, 2009 17:14158780
Wny an Iranian/Israeli alliance won't happen [394 words]Fay VoshellJul 28, 2009 11:46158780
Fayad, Palestine and the jews. [26 words]stevenLJul 9, 2009 22:27158704
inconsistency [70 words]miriamJul 9, 2009 19:16158699
Mixed messages from Obama adm. officials causing a lot of hot-air. [16 words]M.D.Jul 9, 2009 17:47158692
Foolish preference [79 words]R.S. DavisJul 9, 2009 10:30158662
Green Light means go [120 words]AntiochosJul 9, 2009 09:55158660
no inconsistency [150 words]Pete murrayJul 9, 2009 06:34158652
Yea old double standard ! [123 words]Lou from Queens, NYC, USAJul 9, 2009 00:21158642
Sovereign or Not [128 words]Gilles and Elinore MailhiotJul 8, 2009 19:42158634
US To Israel: You decide Nukes in Iran. We decide bedrooms in Jerusalem. [127 words]DebbieJul 8, 2009 18:20158625
Israel as a vassal state of the US [114 words]Regina DalyJul 8, 2009 15:16158624
Agreed [66 words]Abu NudnikJul 8, 2009 13:21158621
So Israel is being asked/tasked to do the US's dirty work in Iran [664 words]JonJul 8, 2009 12:43158617
Israel's independence [73 words]J. SheffJul 8, 2009 12:37158616
Further elaboration, please [86 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Sheryl RosenbergJul 8, 2009 11:28158613
Iran and her nukes program and no new Israeli settlements [163 words]IsaacJul 8, 2009 11:27158612
Obama's Hectoring & What It Portends For Israel [202 words]Adina KutnickiJul 8, 2009 09:46158608
What's good for the goose, etc. [141 words]Rebecca MouldsJul 8, 2009 09:32158607
Bingo [93 words]Yuval Brandstetter MDJul 8, 2009 01:36158591
Mr. Obama's attitude along with Hillary's one. [140 words]SvetlanaJul 7, 2009 23:14158589

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