is it because of the Israel lobby, or because Israel serves some sort of strategic purpose?
Mearsheimer seems to think that it’s mostly because of the lobby. I think I agree with him; I really can’t think of any unique strategic purpose that Israel serves for the US. if Israel disappears tomorrow, the US still has colossal military bases in the Gulf states, it still has friendly governments in Jordan and Egypt, it occupies Syria and Iraq, it has ISIS to stage crazy terrorist attacks, etc. what exactly does Israel do that’s worth all the negatives for the US?
I watched Finkelstein’s recent interview on Al Jazeera and he mentioned he disagreed with Mearsheimer. just curious what everyone here thinks.
Because it’s a protectorate, an extension of US power. It’s close enough to seize the Suez Canal if required, and joins with Gibraltar as the nodes for controlling access to the Mediterranean.
Plus it prevents any kind of pan-Arab state forming that would want to include Egypt, which was considered to be on the cards in the 1970s and 80s, and can be used and is frequently used to bomb US enemies such as Syria and Iran with less risk of igniting a direct confrontation because it’s done by proxy.