Pareto principle

Submitted by David L (United States), May 11, 2010 at 15:06

The above-mentioned autocracy--although certainly a fundamental contributor to the socioeconomic despondence that afflicts nearly all Muslim countries--actually benefits Israel in the cases of Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. That's because the 20% who accept Israel happen to comprise the political elite in those three nations, and the result has been comparatively (!) productive relations with Israel, even though the general populace abhors a formalized Jewish presence in the region (though Saudi Arabia doesn't have a peace treaty like Jordan and Egypt, Saudi royalty has tended to be less belligerent and even accommodating toward Israel).

However, the unsettling flip side is that, without fundamental popular support for the acceptance of Israel, regime change can turn a friendly border hostile overnight--and regime change is a very familiar specter among Arab autocracies.

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