Recently an interesting story is starting to hit the more mainstream parts of the internet.
Ahamadinejad's alleged threat, that he wanted to wipe Israel off the face of the earth is, not surprisingly, a lie. A lie that has continued to grow, as more and more "main stream media" has repeated it again and again and again and again. This is a little reminder about how the propaganda model works. Ahmadinejad's actual words has been discussed a lot as there is no direct translation, but they mean something like: “Israel is unnatural, it will not exist, it’s on the verge of collapse.” (source)
You can agree or disagree with his statement but one thing is for sure. He did not say, he wants to wipe out Israel. This has been one of the common "misunderstandings" spread by the propaganda outlets of the American military–industrial complex.
What if this so called madman (he's actually no such thing as the former head of Mossad admitted in an interview) was actually referring to something else. Like, say, real threats against Israel's existance?
Now, I'm not a scholar, nor am I a journalist. So don't take my word for it. Actually don't take anyones word, but go out and research these things yourselves. Having said that, there seems to my limited knowledge, to be atleast three real threats to Israel's security.
One coming from within its own borders (wherever they might be) and two relating to Israels geopolitical position as explained in my earlier post Kissinger's Stalemate Policy.
Ironically the jewish faith is one of the problems that Ahmadinejad might or might not be referring to. The one coming from withing Israel's own borders. More specifically a growing group of ultra orthodox jews (Haredim). These people are usually on welfare and without jobs due to lack of skills. Most of what they learn in the Haredi schools is to read the Torah. Obviously as unemployed you have nothing but time on your hands and the Haredi is against the use of contraception. See where I'm going? A Haredi family typically 7-8 kids while a more secular jewish family typically will have only 2-3 kids. This means that the Haredi segment is growing three times as fast as those that actually work. In 2034 the Haredi segment will be 20% of the population and by then there's probably no way to solve the problem without paying a horrible price. (source)
While the Haredi timebomb is counting down, Israel also faces other existential threats of a more unpredictable nature. These are related to Israel's position as a highly militarised 51st state of the American empire as described here. Should the US ever lose its position as a major international superpower it might not have resources to sustain its vassal state in the Middle East. With the emerging economies of the BRICS this threat could become very real in a not too distant future.
Another threat related to Kissinger's stalemate policy is that the world should start turning to sustainable energy and away from fossils as the oil prices soar. If that scenario becomes a reality there would be a deafening popping sound heard all over the planet from the oil bubble. The oil in the Middle East would no longer be as interesting and the US might lose interest in Israel. A conservative estimate says that the US supported Israel with 123 billion from 1949-2011. Now I don't know for sure how the US would react to major increase in sustainable energy sources, but my guess is that it would not really be interested in supporting Israel anymore as there's no longer as much benefit to destabilising the region now that its resources are all but useless. Losing that size of subsidy would make a deep and immediate impact.
As you can see, there are much more serious threats to Israel's existance than the illusion of a dangerous nuclear armed Iran led by a madman. Alas the warmongers seem determined to have their nuclear apocalypse. Hopefully these recent news breakthroughs about the "misinterpretation" of Ahmadinejad's threats against Israel is a sign that there could be some hope of avoiding a major armed conflict. I guess time will tell.
Who knows what will happen when Israel really faces its demise. A state that has 200-300 nuclear warheads and is somewhat surrounded by enemies. Would it choose to go out with a bang?
Not a comforting thought to say the least.
A friend of mine had difficulties posting a comment, so I'll do it for him.
ReplyDeleteSaint John comments:
I would like to make a comment on your third point. In my opinion the reason (well, the -main- reason) for the american government to fund Israel isn't to destabilise the region and thus obtain strategical advantages for the acquisition of oil. That's a plus, a bonus, a secondary objective. Although welcome, that's just a secondary objective. The main goal is to redirect money from the american people directly to the armaments industries which compose the military-industrial complex that rules the country and that is the true protagonist of the American Empire. That's how it works, folks. Israel is just the middleman. And the old orwellian slogan is now more true than ever: "War is Peace".
I will conclude my comment by reminding to all of you of a warning by Eisenhower:
"Now this conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence — economic, political, even spiritual — is felt in every city, every Statehouse, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources, and livelihood are all involved. So is the very structure of our society.
In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together."