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by Peter A. Belmont / 2009-01-21
© 2009 Peter Belmont
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It is a mistake to ascribe to the government of Israel (or of the USA) the goals and purposes which it claims.
World-wide, it must be supposed until shown otherwise, governments and their (subject) peoples want different things. Any government’s publicly expressed goals and purposes are a “pabulum” for pacifying the people and cannot be supposed to express the actual goals and purposes of the governments, although, sometimes governments may wish for the same things their people do. Indeed, to avoid oversimplifying, it should be noted that policies differ within the government as well as between government and people. The slogan “the national interest” is a reminder that there is no single, agreed “national interest”.
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Why say that Israel (or the USA) has failed [for example, to find peace or security] when, as I see it, the most that can be said is that governmental statements of purpose express goals which have not been fulfilled?
Leaders have their reasons, unknown to the people, and they may succeed by the measure of PRIVATE GOALS where PUBLIC GOALS have not been achieved.
(Are you in doubt on this point? The Wall Street bankers wanted to get incredibly rich from their shenanigans, including the tax cuts for the wealthy they secured. It was not their goal to shower the common people with the benefits of a notionally benevolent capitalism. Government supported them all the way, and then bailed them out when it all came tumbling down. The governments which bankers and other fat cats own—or merely support by massive campaign contributions (and by offering cushy jobs and contracts for governmental friends and relations)—may well be acting to advance the public weal, but all that money is not spent needlessly. And it is not just bankers! Think AIPAC as well.)
Peace not achieved by Israel is a failed policy? Why suppose that? A rain of rockets—while a bit hard on the people of Israel—is not hard on the leaders who, collectively and across all parties and all times, desire empire, a greater Israel, never having to say they are sorry, never having to recognize that Palestinians are people and have human rights (to say nothing of national rights), keeping a strong military, keeping it on a constant war-footing, keeping military and war-production jobs for themselves and their friends.
(The USA also has a war economy, a huge military-industrial-congressional complex, and unsurprisingly a penchant for war-without-end. If Barack Obama’s deepest desires on Iraq, Afghanistan, and Palestine are at all like mine, he has a tough row to hoe through considerable Congressional opposition. If Barack Obama wants to spend $1T to abate the USA’s contributions to global warming—”we have met the enemy and he is us” (Pogo, 1971))—he better not look for that money in a reduced military budget.)
A rain of rockets, a suicide bombing now and again, keep the people in war fever and keep war-governments in power. Why, in 1982, Israel had almost to invent a provocation for its invasion of Lebanon. Many people thought that Israel invaded Lebanon because the PLO had maintained a truce, not because it had broken one! More or less the pattern in Gaza (2008-2009).
So far, the policy of the governments of Israel has been a rousing success. War-without-end has never failed to be assured. The only way it could fail is a CHANGE IN EXTERNAL CIRCUMSTANCES. The Palestinians cannot defeat Israel, nor can they change its oppressive policy. But the USA, the EU, the UNSC, have the power to do much, for ill (as in the past) or for good. See: here.
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