For the first time in the history of world empires, a tiny ethnic-religious minority, representing less than 2% of the population is able to shape US policy in the Middle East to serve the colonial interests of a foreign country (Israel), which represents less than 1% of the population of the Middle East. The Zionist Power Configuration(ZPC) in the US with several hundred thousand fanatical activists, throughout the country, can mobilize close to 98% of the US Congress on any legislation favoring Israel, even when their approval prejudices major US oil multinationals. The America Pro-Israel lobby AIPAC (the America-Israel Political Affairs Committee) with one hundred thousand members and 100 full time agents writes over 100 pieces of Congressional legislation affecting US trade, military aid and sanctions policies favoring Israel every year. In March 2007, the leaders of both political parties, Congress and the Senate and over 50% of all members of the Congress attended and pledged allegiance to the state of Israel at AIPAC convention in Washington.
The Zionist power configuration includes far more than the AIPAC ‘lobby’. In the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, Zionists controlled the Vice President’s office including convicted felon Irving ‘Scooter’ Libby, the Pentagon and its ‘intelligence’ operations (Wolfowitz, Feith and Shumsky) and held strategic positions in the White House and National Security Council (Frum – author of Bush’s ‘Axis of Evil’ speech, Abrams – pardoned felon from Iran Contra scandal, now in charge of Middle East policy, and Ari Fleischer – President Bush’s spokesman). Zionists dominate the editorial and opinion pages of the major newspapers (Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and New York Times), major television networks and Hollywood. Hundreds of regional state and local Jewish federations intervene to prevent any criticism of Israel, attacking any critics, meetings, theatrical or cinema productions – successfully forcing cancelations.
The Zionist power structure has been the leading force pushing US war plans and sanctions against Iran. They backed Bush’s invasion of Iraq. The ZPC secured US backing for Israel’s bloody attack on Lebanon weakening US puppet ruler Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. The ZPC authored and secured Congressional legislation blocking any contact with the Palestinian unity government. They successfully lined up US congressional support for Israel’s starvation blockade of Palestine over the last 20 months. The scope and depth of Zionist power over US Middle East policy goes far beyond influencing ‘public opinion’ – it penetrates key institutions, designs and enforces policy implementation and promotes wars, which benefit Israel.
In a word, the Zionist Power Configuration’s primary loyalty is to the state of Israel and its policy is designed to colonize the US Congress on behalf and benefit of the ‘mother country’, Israel.
An understanding of US "imperial" foreign policy in the Middle East requires an analysis, which centers on four points:
- The power and influence of Israel and the Zionist power configuration over US political institutions (Congress, the Executive branch, the mass media, the two major political parties and electoral processes), their economic leverage on investment and financial institutions (state and trade union pension funds, investment banks), their cultural domination of journals, the performing arts, magazines, films and newspapers. Zionist political, economic and cultural power is directed exclusively toward maximizing Israel’s military, economic and political expansion and superiority in the Middle East even when it conflicts with other US imperialist interests.
- The capacity of the US Empire to construct and instrumentalize Middle East client states and mercenary forces to implement US policies. The most prominent and important current instruments of US policy in the Middle East include the puppet regime in Iraq, the Abbas-Dahlan group in Palestine, the Kurds in Iraq, the Sinoria-Harari-Jumblat regime in Lebanon, the Mujahideen-e Khalq Organisation, Kurds and Sunni tribalists in Iran and the puppet Somali ‘regime’ backed by Ethiopian-Ugandan mercenaries.
- An alliance with right-wing regimes and rulers in Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States and Israel to provide military bases, intelligence and political backing for the colonial occupation in Iraq, the division of Iraq, economic sanctions and war against Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas and any other clerical-nationalist and leftist movements in the Middle East.
- The capacity to contain, repress and limit the opposition of the majority of the US public and a minority of Congress members to the current war in Iraq and a future war against Iran. The key problem for US imperialism is the discrediting of the civilian-militarists in the White House and their increasing tendency to resort to new political ‘adventures’ and ‘provocations’ to recover support and to concentrate dictatorial powers in the President’s office.
Equally important, the US foremost Arab ‘allies’ in the Middle East have promulgated a series of proposals and policy options, which are directly opposed to the ZPC-Israeli agenda. Saudi Arabia’s proposal approved by the Arab League offering Israel recognition and normal relations in exchange for abiding by UN resolutions and returning territory seized in 1967 is one example. These Arab initiatives have elicited a positive response in many governments in the European Union and Turkey, adding to the forces arrainged against the ZPC-Israeli direction for US Middle East policy.
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