January, 2010
The Real Middle East Crisis
Ryan Collipi
With all the upheavals regarding healthcare, and now with Obama's Nobel Peace Prize, the gaze of the world has unfortunately turned away from one of the few true crises of Obama's presidency. The hard-line position Bush favored in his foreign policy were dramatically discarded by the President who pledged to close Guantanamo Bay, bring our troops home, and negotiate peace throughout the world. It seems though that he has turned his back to a major risk in the Middle East.
Obama's battle with the GOP on healthcare and the bank bailouts, as well as his dithering over Gitmo and the wars in the Middle East have distracted the majority of population from the issue of Iran—more importantly, and much more worryingly, Israel's response. Israel just recently released information suggesting a preemptive strike against Iran if sanctions are not in place by Christmas.
Now anyone aware of their geography realizes that Israel is a tiny country surrounded on three sides by Arab nations. And anyone aware of their geopolitics realizes that the Arabs and the Israelis don't often get along. Iran in particular has shown a marked disdain for the state of Israel. Jordan and Lebanon refuse to acknowledge its existence. The threat of war there, no matter the circumstances, should worry anyone who realizes how staunchly the US supports Israel.
Obama, for what it is worth, has been so busy with domestic affairs that he has completely neglected the situation at hand. His plan to bring the US back to its former glory, to negotiate and make peace, seems to be at an impasse if he cannot bring the Iranians to the table and talk this issue away. Yet Iran seems recalcitrant. What right, they wonder, does the US have to dictate what they can and cannot do with nuclear power? After all, was it not the US that dropped the first atomic bombs? They even go so far as to argue that their nuclear aspirations are “peaceful!” Then why does this have everyone so concerned?
Perhaps it has to do with Iran's disapproving outlook regarding the existence of the Israeli state. And the Israeli's aren't even the only ones threatened by the growing problem. Egypt, Israel's nigh-constant enemy, has been clandestinely feeding the Israeli intelligence services information they have gathered regarding Iranian nuclear proliferation. Saudi Arabia has even agreed to look the other way if Israeli jets enter Saudi airspace during a strike on Iran. In fact, the majority of the Middle East has thrown their support, either officially or unofficially, behind the Israeli government in this issue. In fact, one of the few powers that hasn't is the United States. Maybe it has something to do with distance. If a nuclear weapon hits Israel, the fallout will contaminate the rest of the region, or worse; if Israel and Iran engaged in a full-scale war.
There has been speculation regarding the state of Israel's nuclear arsenal as well. Although the Israeli government denies possession of any nuclear weapons, the possibility exists that nuclear weapons have been furnished clandestinely by one of the first-world powers towards the end of the cold war.
And that should have the world scared. Except for Obama. He is too busy fighting for a healthcare system no one wants, destroying the morale of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and giving speeches. Israel's government has been looking to Obama for support on this issue, after he and Joe Biden promised Israel their support multiple times during the campaign. Biden even went so far as to say “Israel has a friend in Joe Biden” during the Vice Presidential debate! At least he has stayed somewhat true to his word, as earlier this year he publicly announced, in direct opposition to the President, that Israel has the right to defend itself, even if it must initiate a pre-emptive strike. Israel has wisely realized that it cannot rely on the pledges and promises of the Obama administration to protect her. Obama would gladly talk himself out to Ahmadinejad while Israel faces its own destruction. Obama, who can't even push his own plans through in a Congress his party thoroughly controls, obviously cannot resolve an issue as large as this. Israel needs a Kennedy, not a Carter, and the Iranians will respond to Obama the same way they responded to Carter during the hostage crisis in 1979. Israel needs to forge its own path; they cannot longer rely on the Obama administration. The support that the US provides Israel does not confer to Obama the right to determine Israeli foreign policy, and if the Israeli government waits much longer on this President, the state of Israel may find itself swiftly deprived of existence.