Promoting Democracy...at Home!

Chomsky on promoting democracy in the United States!

"... if public opinion influenced policy, the U.S. would have diplomatic relations with Cuba, benefiting the people of both countries (and, incidentally, U.S. agribusiness, energy corporations, and others), instead of standing virtually alone in the world in imposing an embargo (joined only by Israel, the Republic of Palau, and the Marshall Islands). Washington would join the broad international consensus on a two-state settlement of the Israel-Palestine conflict, which (with Israel) it has blocked for 30 years -- with scattered and temporary exceptions -- and which it still blocks in word, and more importantly in deed, despite fraudulent claims of its commitment to diplomacy. The U.S. would also equalize aid to Israel and Palestine, cutting off aid to either party that rejected the international consensus."

And on Israel's relationship with us!

The US-Israeli relationship in its current form began in 1967.

In 1967, Israel performed an enormous service for the US. It destroyed independent secular Arab nationalism, which was considered a major threat.

The oldest and most valued US ally is Saudi Arabia - that is where most of the oil is and Saudi is probably the most extremist fundamentalist Islamic tyranny in the world.

The main centre of Arab nationalism was Nasser's Egypt. Israel destroyed Nasser's secular nationalism, and that's a tremendous boost to US power. Nasser was considered a great threat and it was feared that Nasser might use the region's resources for the benefit of its people, rather than to the benefit of the West, and at that point, the relationship with Israel was firmed up.

In 1970, something even more important happened. The Palestinians were becoming an organised, secular nationalist movement, which is frightening (to the US). They were in confrontation with Jordan, a US-British ally.

In fact, the Jordanian army was slaughtering (the Palestinians). It looked briefly as if Syria might intervene to protect Palestinians and that was considered a major threat to the Hashemite monarchy and also to the Gulf tyranny in Saudi...The US could not intervene at the time because it was tied up in Indochina.

Israel - at US request - mobilised its forces and Syria had to back off. At that point, US aid to Israel quadrupled. That was essentially the end of secular nationalism in the Arab world."