' Israel is not America, it does not possess the same capabilities...'
May God protect General Dempsey! "... The general's remark was not a slip-of-the-tongue. It was a calculated statement from a general of Irish descent and character. His words constituted a slap in Israel's face, a punch in the face, and a kick to the most sensitive part of the body. To be more precise, the US slammed Israel's head against the wall and said: "Shut up. Stop babbling about Iran. Without us there is not much you can do, and don't assume for a second that we are dancing to your tune. You shouldn't do anything stupid, and stop driving the entire world crazy."
This was the message behind Dempsey's comment. You don't believe it? Just imagine what would have happened had an American general, after decades of ambiguity, would have held a press conference and announced that Israel does not have nuclear weapons, or that it does.
Now think again about the meaning of Dempsey's statement, which was made after months and even years in which Israel was building up its image as an omnipotent power in the Middle East. Dempsey's comments can even be considered earth-shattering: The US, Israel's closest ally and confidante, has decided to bring the Jewish state's leadership to its knees and hurt our exaggerated self-confidence and undermine our deterrence. No less.
Dempsey was painfully clear. He basically said that Israel should not disregard the opinions of its top security officials, stop the constant chatter on Iran and refrain from any acts that may have an adverse effect on the global economy. The general also meant to tell Israel that it mustn't believe that Netanyahu has any control over the US because he has friends in the Republican Party. Dempsey laid down the facts: Israel is not America, it does not possess the same capabilities, and if Netanyahu and Barak continue wreaking havoc – Israel won’t have America either.
It will take a while before we will be able to gauge the depth of the current crisis between Israel and the US (and between Netanyahu and Obama). Washington made a strategic decision to show Israel who is the mentor and who is the protégé. The US hit Israel's most sensitive nerve: The pride in its military power. But it appears that the US had no other choice. After weeks of belligerent headlines, President Obama had enough of Netanyahu's inclination to play with fire. We should start getting used to it. ..."
2 comments:
The other angle to this story THAT NO ONE has wanted to touch has been the Obama Admin leak to 'Foreign Policy'. You remember the one where unnamed U.S. officials complained that Israel had bought an aircraft carrier called Azerbaijan? Care to guess which country controls Azeri air space and knows where most of the Azeri elites keep their money? That's right, Mitt Romney's enemy no. 1 RUSSIA. Israel is after all a part of the Ru-sphere with 1 million Russian speakers, something Mitt Romney's advisors don't want to know.
What other country would denounce an Israeli strike on Iran all the way to the bank as $170 a barrel oil hits? Think too about the mixed motives behind the Saudis imprecations to 'cut the head off the snake'.
But the very notion that one of Washington's closest longtime allies would cut its own deal with Moscow without the U.S. involved is blasphemy to the D.C. set, on both sides of the aisle. It would mean the imperial game is about up and the worst possible fate awaits those accustomed to calling the shots -- being irrelevant or outside of the room when the big decisions are made. Ditto for other U.S. allies contemplating jumping ship from the current fiat order like Germany, with their very large gold stocks and Soros daring them to leave the Eurozone and do the unthinkable.
Wow. A high ranking US official, militery no less, stand up and tells the truth in the face of Israel. Now that is refreshing and a proof that there is still some good in life
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