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Kill the myth of "linkage" for America's sake

Reader comment on item: Republicans and Democrats Look at the Arab-Israeli Conflict

Submitted by Randall P. (United States), Mar 29, 2010 at 14:46

It seems that among the best things we can do right now is to debunk this resurrected myth of "linkage." The last 40 years have proven that despite being the most technologically advanced civilization on the planet, America is still prone to buying into illusions and myths - namely that the Muslim/Arab world will like America more if it abandons Israel, its Jewish partner in Western democracy.

Our wealth has turned our population into a field of flowers, able to absorb the natural wonders of the world, but quickly shrivels up and withers when it feels that its personal security is threatened. If the average Joe is deluded into thinking that our friendship with a "Jewish state," even a democratic one, makes the violence-breeding Muslim world like us less, then he will choose the phony security. But if this "linkage," the convenient delusion created by Israel's aggressive neighbors to gain undeserved sympathy is accepted as true, then Israel will suffer while America becomes the Arab world's patsy.

Obama has intentionally resurrected this "linkage" monster-phantom and held it up again after many years of being mostly buried. Its phoniness cannot be understood by the average TV addict. Simply making a ridiculous statement - that the U.S. war with Al Qaeda is being undermined by unhappy Palestinians - is believed by the simple-minded, so long as Obama or one of his team-members makes it. Even without explaining how. The simple statement is all that is necessary before the world press, including the NY Times, BBC, and even the press in Israel, begin to assume it has meaning and may be true, even if no one can explain how. That would require some real "thinking," not a strong trait for Americans today.

If they did think about it they'd discover the exact opposite of the "linkage" mythology: that most Arab countries where the Palestinians have moved to have been evicted or intentionally confined to refugee camps. Egypt doesn't like their radicalism, nor does Jordan or Lebanon. King

As a result, the only "linkage" that exists in Arab countries, along with Iran and Turkey, is the pretense that they actually want to help the Palestinians. They thereby use this pretense to control the politics of our U.S. leadership and its supporters, who will believe the fallacy of "linkage:" Help the war-making Muslims defeat the Jewish homeland, and the oil-rich Islamic world will like and respect you more. Maybe they'll let you have easier access to oil. And they'll keep loaning you back the dollars you gave them at the gas pump. Maybe they'll try to control their terrorists. That's what Europe assumes, anyway. Now we have Obama to convince Americans of the same fallacy – our newest myth-maker. He no doubt correctly believes that an American who loves "dancing with the stars" and watches "American idols," will believe anything you feed them. He seems to be right.

By focusing on debunking and exposing the myth of "linkage," we could go a long way to undermining those who wish to use that myth to harm Israel while it also weakens America as a reliable ally. Simply denying that "linkage" exists and challenging its U.S. promoters to prove its existence could pour water on this wicked phantom and help dissolve it. It would put its promoters on the defensive, in any case. It might even prove that Obama's buying into this myth for the sake of creating a pseudo-friendship with Muslim states is actually weakening America, as it has weakened the European states that still promote the "linkage" myth.

Remove the curtain from the myth and the real power reveals itself: our desire and addiction to petrodollars and cheap oil. If that's all America stands for, then at least we'll know.

Hussein of Jordan moved to quash the militancy of Palestinian organizations during "Black September" and Arafat he killed 20,000 Palestinian civilians before evicting them. They were speedily thrown out of Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the other Gulf states during Desert Storm. There are no Arab neighbors that have invited the Palestinians to live there and assimilate. The only state that has allowed them to assimilate and live in partnership is Israel, which took in over a million and still tries to convert them into a peaceful people - unsuccessfully.
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Reader comments (58) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
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Jewish demographics and politics not easily generalized [372 words]Michael SMay 17, 2015 11:17222902
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4the current "peace talks" [219 words]Jules PostenOct 17, 2010 15:45179359
Fox news motives [177 words]AnonOct 16, 2010 18:40179317
Disrespectful and ill conceived comments [180 words]saraOct 16, 2010 19:14179317
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2Jews as a people or a religion [405 words]saraOct 17, 2010 19:54179317
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please don't say that [75 words]mariahNov 14, 2010 03:17179317
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the overriding factor [25 words]Jules PostenMar 30, 2010 13:13170775
1Three Overwhelming Facts/Arguments Being Ignored [373 words]Ron ThompsonMar 29, 2010 23:17170761
Kill the myth of "linkage" for America's sake [714 words]Randall P.Mar 29, 2010 14:46170755
A vote of no-confidence in Netanyahu [77 words]J SheffMar 29, 2010 13:55170754
do away with terms "pro-israel" or "pro-palestinian" [28 words]mayaMar 27, 2010 19:53170701
Questions and Hands [146 words]Jay1Mar 26, 2010 20:12170651
Each party and ideology should support the one country in the entie Middle East that is not planning to kill us. i.e. ISRAEL ! ..Mar 2010 [37 words]Phil GreendMar 26, 2010 15:05170642
longing for the armageddon? [88 words]G.VishvasJul 5, 2009 07:20158497
It won't be Armageddon [23 words]Tom DundeeMar 27, 2010 15:56158497
I think this is a combination of things [568 words]JayJun 21, 2009 15:15157731
help finding article [54 words]roger kleinJan 10, 2009 16:57147675
2The right to defend itself is the right of all countries including Israel [627 words]Tess McNamara (Australian and Pro Israel)Jan 2, 2009 23:29146704
1Names of Republican and Democrats. [8 words]SvetlanatchkaJan 2, 2009 17:38146675
14 favorable [10 words]YnnatchkahMar 7, 2008 14:09121997
14 in 100 people are favorable of the Palestinian Authority [69 words]KristaMar 8, 2008 17:51121997
Your point was better than mine. [10 words]YnnatchkahMar 8, 2008 21:20121997
Present Arab-Israeli conflict [82 words]John S. HancockJul 16, 2006 22:4349853
reply to John S. Hancock [125 words]mikeDec 15, 2006 14:0549853
1What Has Israel Done For the Palestinians? [60 words]Glenda LoughMar 27, 2010 16:0749853
1On "naming the Enemy" [779 words]Christina LuciaApr 21, 2006 18:4143765
Excellent [14 words]Glenda LoughMar 27, 2010 16:1343765
Build a consensus for Israel [49 words]Octavio JohansonApr 13, 2006 11:2443114
Whether liberal Democrats actually support Israel depends on the definiton of "support" [1496 words]Mark GoldApr 7, 2006 17:0442652
where are Democrats for Israel-east bay san francisco? [82 words]Shirl FinkApr 17, 2006 21:1542652
Reply to Mark Gold [382 words]Seamus MacNemiOct 18, 2007 15:3842652
I Am A Supporter [118 words]Tom DundeeMar 27, 2010 16:2542652
Lumping categories & support for Israel is bipartisan [121 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Emanuel GoldmanApr 4, 2006 18:2342366
Bipartisan support for Israel [14 words]Octavio JohansonApr 5, 2006 07:5442366
There is actuallly only one separation. [32 words]Tom DundeeMar 27, 2010 16:3442366
A note on one "irregularity" [30 words]pdbApr 4, 2006 11:3542306
Liberals merely in denial [47 words]Mark GarretsonApr 4, 2006 10:5942304

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