REALPOLITIC: WHY THE U.S. SUPPORTS ISRAEL

Is Israel in America's Interest? - Martin Kramer
U.S. support for Israel is not primarily the result of Holocaust guilt or shared democratic values; nor is it produced by the machinations of the "Israel Lobby." American support for Israel underpins the pax Americana in the eastern Mediterranean. It has compelled Israel's key Arab neighbors to reach peace with Israel and to enter the American orbit. The fact that there has not been a general Arab-Israeli war since 1973 is proof that this pax Americana, based on the U.S.-Israel alliance, has been a success. From a realist point of view, supporting Israel has been a low-cost way of keeping order in part of the Middle East, managed by the U.S. from offshore and without the commitment of any force. It is, simply, the ideal realist alliance.

In contrast, the problems the U.S. faces in the Persian Gulf stem from the fact that it does not have an Israel equivalent there, and so it must massively deploy its own force at tremendous cost. The U.S. acts in this region not in the interests of Israel, but to keep the world's great reserves of oil out of the grip of the West's sworn enemies. (Azure-Shalem Center)

Still a Strategic Asset for the U.S. - Efraim Inbar
Washington still understands that Israel remains its most reliable ally in the Middle East and the eastern Mediterranean. There is no other state in the region where an American airplane can count with certainty on being welcomed in the near future. American allies such as Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey all have a record of denying the U.S. military use of their facilities. Moreover, the stability of their regimes cannot be taken for granted. Israel is one of the few countries in the world that does not see U.S. primacy in international affairs as a troubling phenomenon. In fact, Israeli foreign policy displays an unequivocal pro-American orientation.

The American military uses Israeli training installations and has continuous access to Israeli intelligence, military experience, and doctrine. Similarly, the greater American effort to defend its homeland from terrorist threats has intensified U.S. cooperation with Israel. The writer is professor of political science and director of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar-Ilan University. (Jerusalem Post)