The crisis that never came...

Take a moment and consider these words by American diplomat George Ball, writing in 1979:

"It is unrealistic to believe that Israel, which has maintained a military occupation over 1,200,000 Palestinians for the past 12 years, can continue that role indefinitely. With violence increasing and Arab strength expanding, the attempt to maintain the status quo offers only a sad an bloody future. Nor is it reasonable to believe that the American people will be prepared indefinitely to subsidize this Israeli brand of colonialism so far out of tune with present-day opinion."

So right, yet so wrong... The article, titled "The Coming Crisis Israeli-American Relations," deals with US-Israeli relations from 1948 to 1979 and also touches upon the growth of the pro-Israel lobby, and is still an interesting read 30 years later. Ball describes US-Israeli relations as characterized by "dependence without responsibility." Some excerpts: 

"Over the last 30 years these relations have evolved to the point where Israel is more dependent on the United States than ever, and yet feels itself free to take hard-line positions at variance with American views without fear of anything worse than verbal admonition from Washington."

"/---/ Today Israel is able to continue on its present course only because of continued vast subsidies from the United States. Distasteful as it must be to Israelis, the nation has become a ward— a kind of welfare dependent—of America. The United States is providing annual subsidies out of the public sector that amount to the equivalent of $7,500 a year for every Jewish family..."

"/---/ Why should Israel not pursue its own course, when Israelis have been so long conditioned to expect that America will support their country, no matter how often it disregards American advice and protests and America's own interests, that both sides now accept this extraordinary ritual dancing as quite normal?"

30 years later, in the Obama era, the White House "regrets" the construction of new settlements on the West Bank. The dance continues...

In the court of Mubarak

Good news for Egypt's ruling elite this week: China wants further military cooperation, the European Union desperately wants help to cut its dependence on Russian gas, and Obama picks Cairo for his speech to the "muslim word," while promising continued unconditional aid. The line of great powers seeking an audience in the court of Mubarak never seems to end...

"Do we really want to change America into Sweden?"

This is hilarious: Some right-wing pundits is apparently warning that Obama is introducing "socialism" and turning America into... North Korea? Cuba? No - Sweden! Oh dear god! In the clip below Jon Stewart is making fun of it, and the Daily Show even sent a reporter all the way to Stockholm to investigate. It's largely based on stereotypes about Swedish women (as 99% of all Sweden-related humor in the states), but funny anyway. And ironically, some left-wing critics are accusing the current Swedish right-wing government of cutting back welfare, increasing inequality, allowing poverty to rise unchecked - thus making Sweden more like the US...

Coffeeshop democracy

Condoleeza Rice defends her efforts to support democracy in Egypt in an interview in Washington Post:

"I do believe that the [September 2005] presidential election was a
different kind of election than Egypt had ever had. There was criticism of the
president's policies right on the front page of Egyptian newspapers. The café talk in Egypt was extraordinary."

Café talk? I bet that is a huge comfort to presidential candidate Ayman Nour in his prison cell... And by the way, which 'ahwa did Condi visit to catch the mood of the streets in Cairo?