Axel_Bavaria wrote:

Who Are America’s Reliable Allies?

Posted By Alan M. Dershowitz On February 17, 2012 @ 12:21 am In Daily Mailer,FrontPage | No Comments

In a quickly changing world, it is important to ask which countries the United States can always count on in times of crisis. Recent events have shortened that list considerably.

India has long claimed to be a reliable ally, but it is now undercutting American efforts to impose meaningful sanctions against Iran. Its help cannot any longer be counted on in the struggle against the greatest danger faced by the United States—an Iran with nuclear weapons. Japan, another ally, is dilly dallying on sanctions as well. Brazil used to be a reliable partner, until it began to fall under the sway of Venezuela’s Chavez, who is closely allied with Iran and other American enemies. The “new” Russia and China demonstrated their lack of reliability when they vetoed American efforts in the Security Council to help resolve the Syrian crisis. Egypt, which has received billions of dollars of American aid, has defied American warnings not to put US citizens on trial on phony, trumped-up charges. Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the Emirates are now playing footsy with Hamas and Hezbollah, also Iranian surrogates, as they worry about the contagion of the Arab Spring and the growing influence of the Muslim Brotherhood.

It turns out that other than Europe, Israel may be America’s only remaining reliable ally. And even some European countries, such as France, Sweden and Norway, are in doubt.

Israel will always remain a strong American ally because it shares an American commitment to democracy, to freedom of religion, to freedom of expression and to an open market economy. It also shares a common commitment to fight against terrorism and other threats to the security of the United States—a commitment that is less that vigorous among some European countries.

Some political scientists and state department officials, who call themselves “realists”, question Israel’s value as an American ally. They are wrong, and recent events confirm how wrong they are and have been.

There is no doubt that America helps Israel enormously, as it should help those who share our democratic values. But there is also no doubt that Israel helps the United States considerably, by sharing its extraordinary intelligence-gathering capabilities, its military R&D, its computer know-how and other intangibles. As other nations in the region debate whether American troops should even be allowed to set foot on their territory, Israel welcomes the American military to engage in joint exercises. In its nearly 64 years of existence, Israel has never asked for a single American soldier to fight its battles. It fights its own battles while assisting the American military in defending our country against terrorism and other threats to our citizens.

It’s time for the realists to acknowledge that Israel not only has a moral and ideological claim to American support, but it also has a claim base on realpolitik. Moreover, Israeli exports—medical, environmental, educational, cultural, agricultural, and high tech—contribute to the quality of life of all Americans. No country is history has contributed more in 64 years to the quality of life of the world’s population than Israel has since its birth.

Those are some of the reasons why thoughtful Americans overwhelmingly support Israel, why every mainstream presidential candidate supports Israel’s security, and why Israel has never been a divisive issue in American politics, as it has sometimes been in European politics.

This commonality of interests should not immunize Israeli policies and actions from legitimate and reasonable criticism, any more than England’s shared values should immunize that country from criticism. Allies need not agree on every aspect of each other’s policy to remain supportive friends. But Israel’s reliability as an eternal American ally—and its many contributions to American security and daily life—should cause us to treat that nation as a friend and to resolve reasonable doubts in its favor.

Unfortunately, the opposite is being advocated by some “realists,” hard left academics and extremist student activists. They see Israel as an enemy and resolve all doubts against it. They single out the Jewish state for divestment, boycotts and sanctions, (DBS)—ignoring real human rights offenders such as China, Cuba, Zimbabwe, Iran and Syria. They apply a double standard of judgment against Israel. They do not limit their hostility to particular Israeli actions or policies. Instead, they seek to delegitimate the entire concept of a secular, democratic, pluralistic nation state for the Jewish people in a world that includes numerous “Arab,” “Muslim,” “Christian,” “Hindu” and other far more particularistic states.

At its root much of the animus directed at Israel, particularly from the hard left, is actually directed at the United States. The hard left hates America, and it also hates its reliable allies such as Israel. But for those of us who love America, support for Israel—its most reliable ally—comes naturally.

So let our great nation continue to support the security and survival of another great democracy with the understanding that there is mutual benefit to our enduring alliance and friendship. Israel, unlike many other fair weather allies, can always be counted on by the United States.

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Whoever has the amricans as allies does not need ennemies.

Mrs Ngô Đình Nhu, sister-in law of the President of South Viet Nam

Dershowitz: I Can’t Vote for Obama Unless He Cuts Ties with Media Matters

Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz, who was a key supporter of Obama in 2008, told WOR710 today that he could not vote for President Obama’s re-election unless the president cuts ties with the controversial anti-Israel group Media Matters. He also warned that Obama’s association with Media Matters – which was raised by the Daily Caller in an investigative series this week – will lose him support in the pro-Israel community:

Let’s have a full and open debate on this, but to the extent that the Obama administration associates with these bigots [at Media Matters], they’re going to lose a lot of support among Christians, Jews and others who think that American support for Israel is in the best interest of the United States…So don’t confuse these bigots with liberals. They’re not. They’re extremists, they’re way, way beyond the pale. And any association with the Obama administration is going to hurt the Obama administration. There is not enough room under the big tent for people like me…and the bigots of Media Matters. The Obama administration is going to have to choose. …

I could not vote for anyone who has anything to do with Media Matters, that’s clear. That’s just clear as can be. I will take an oath here that I will not vote for a candidate that has any direct association with Media Matters. That’s like asking me to vote for Hezbollah or asking me to vote for Hamas or asking me to vote for the Fascist Party. I won’t do it…That association has to stop. Just in the same way that President Obama totally terminated his association with the Reverend Wright, he has to terminate any association with Media Matters and with the intellectual thugs who are behind it.

Click the last link over to BreitbartTV for the full audio to hear Dershowitz give the history of the Jewish dual-loyalty charge that’s now being used by Media Matters writers. As an interesting aside, Dershowitz also explains that he discovered Media Matters was using anti-Semitic tropes after he saw them quoted by a Holocaust denial group that regularly spams his email box.

Could Media Matters become as toxic for Obama as his association with Rev. Wright was in 2008? As far as I recall, Dershowitz is the first to make that comparison. In many ways, Media Matters’ rhetoric is just as offensive as the garbage Wright was preaching. The difference is Media Matters has extensive ties within the Democratic Party. Even if Obama disassociates from the group, he can’t count on his fellow Democrats to follow suit. He also can’t discount the fact that Media Matters has a lot of sway with the progressive left. His re-election campaign will require support, and potentially even coordination, with the group.

www.commentarymagazine.com . . .

Axel_Bavaria wrote:

Israel will always remain a strong American ally because it shares an American commitment to democracy, to freedom of religion, to freedom of expression and to an open market economy. It also shares a common commitment to fight against terrorism and other threats to the security of the United States—a commitment that is less that vigorous among some European countries.

Who Are America’s Reliable Allies?

Nazi Pole Smoking Frog wrote:

Who Are America’s Reliable Allies?

Who needs your tax dollars the most?

It turns out that other than Europe, Israel may be America’s only remaining reliable ally. And even some European countries, such as France, Sweden and Norway, are in doubt.

Israel will always remain a strong American ally because it shares an American commitment to democracy, to freedom of religion, to freedom of expression and to an open market economy. It also shares a common commitment to fight against terrorism and other threats to the security of the United States—a commitment that is less that vigorous among some European countries.

No country is history has contributed more in 64 years to the quality of life of the world’s population than Israel has since its birth.

martsy wrote:

Are the US loyal towards their own allies?

e.g. South Vietnam...

rasht wrote:

As De Gaulle said, Americans don’t look for allies but for mat. Any country which was foolish to think that USA would be a reliable ally, finished in bad shape.

rasht wrote:

As De Gaulle said, Americans don’t look for allies but for mat. Any country which was foolish to think that USA would be a reliable ally, finished in bad shape.

PopsFrost wrote:

rasht wrote:

As De Gaulle said, Americans don’t look for allies but for mat. Any country which was foolish to think that USA would be a reliable ally, finished in bad shape.

Yep. that's what we did to Western Europe. Wouldn't defend you for decades while you rebuilt your war torn economies, right?

Axel_Bavaria wrote:

What you should have done in 1960 was leaving Europe alone, after due notice. We would have had to build up our own armies, which would have been no problem for us in any way, shape or form. But with the Americans present, no one saw the need for it. You made us depend on you. Dependant. That shouldn't have happened.

Name one Battalion of Israeli soldiers that helped the USA in Vietnam (on the ground)?
Name one Battalion of Israeli soldiers that helped the USA in Bosnia/Yugoslavia?
Name one Battalion of Israeli soldiers that helped the USA in Afghanistan (on the ground)?
Name one Battalion of Israeli soldiers that helped the USA in Iraq (on the ground)?

PopsFrost wrote:

No one, and I do mean no one, wanted to consider a re-militarized or even nuclear capable Germany in the 50's or 60's. The Soviet threat was real.