Dear Mr. Zakaria
I agree with what you say but would add more to your arguments. Israel's scale of the attacks on Gaza were specifically planned in order to incite Islamic violence against not only Israel by America and force Obama's hand from words of peace and mutual respect to war mongering in the Bush style. Under Obama Israel will not be able to force its alignment (falsely) of its security with that of the USA unconditionally. Fact: None of Israel's wars on Lebanon and the Palestinians of the last 30 years gave Israel the peace it claimed its launched the wars for instead they all led to more wars and reprisals on bigger and bigger scale against Israel and the west creating the illusion that Israel's interests were America's always. I wrote this in my blog 11 days before yours. Also when you look back at the Iraq war did that really serve US security interest? or did it Israel's interests? . you may want to read it at my blog or at http://khaledfattal.blogspot.com/2008/12/president-obama-lookout-trap-israels.html or you may want to read my blog on Iran and Obama titled http://khaledfattal.blogspot.com/2009/01/what-can-obama-focus-on-in-first-100.html all on my blog www.khaledfattal.blogspot.com
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What Makes Ahmadinejad Smile?
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Israel's military actions undercut a tide that had been moving in its favor. Over the last two years, countries like Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan have come to recognize that their major regional concern is the rise of Iran—and on that issue, they are allied in their interests and perspectives with Israel. In other words, on the major strategic issue of the day, Israel is moving into a tacit alliance with moderate Arab states for the first time in its history. This soft alliance has been encouraged and nurtured by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. But its weak point is Arab public opinion, and Iran has always understood this. Tehran's strategy to undermine this alliance is to signal to the Arab public that it is the chief defender of the Palestinian cause and so cannot be an enemy of the Arab people. The real enemy, Tehran signals to the Arabs, is their own regimes.
Within Iran also, the balance is shifting. The moderates are now silent. Reformist newspapers display photographs of dead Palestinian babies on their front pages. "One month ago, the great debate in Tehran was about low oil prices and economic mismanagement," says Nasr. "Now it's about Palestine and the anger in the Arab world. President Ahmadinejad would rather have the current conversation."
Israel believes that the lesson of its 2006 war with Hizbullah was to improve its military tactics. And its superb defense forces have adapted well. But by crushing Gaza militarily, Israel might actually be giving Iran's mullahs the ideological issue they thrive on. That might be the political lesson of this war.
© 2009
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