U.S.-Israel Strategic Cooperation is Changing

JINSA: The Sentry
15 December '10

Washington’s Focus on Defensive Posture Limits Israeli Flexibility

Paper delivered by Shoshana Bryen, Senior Director for Security Policy, at the Jewish Federation General Assembly in New Orleans, Louisiana, November 8, 2010.

Rep. Eric Cantor, slated to be Majority Leader in the next Congress, said before the 2010 mid-term election, “If we regain the majority, we will use our larger platform to make the case that a strong Israel is firmly in the strategic and moral interests of the United States.” He echoed the view from the Hill of both Democrats and Republicans.

Although I personally love to think of the U.S.-Israel security relationship as a function of shared democratic values and commitment to individual civil liberties and the rule of law (and have been writing about it at JINSA since 1979), that is not where it resides in American security planning. The nature and depth of the relationship depends on how the principals define the threats facing their respective nations.

Shared values and democratic systems count for a lot in the political world – and they make friends for the military people involved – but national security interests can evolve without them. Look at Saudi Arabia. No one would mistake the Saudis for people who share our values – even after their helpful intelligence on al Qaeda package bombs.

When there is a common threat or a common interest, the relationship has more of the characteristic of an alliance. When the definition of either country’s essential interest changes, the relationship becomes something else, generally something less than an alliance.

(Read full "U.S.-Israel Strategic Cooperation is Changing")

If you enjoy "Love of the Land", please be a subscriber. Just put your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the upper right-hand corner of the page.
.