The American
Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is often ranked as one of the most
influential groups in Washington D.C.
AIPAC lobbies tirelessly for American support of Israel, and is often
successful. America’s alliance
with Israel has been a cornerstone of foreign policy and, in the wake of 9/11,
even defense policy. But
AIPAC does not wait for events in Israel to draw attention. When Israeli politics do not present a
direct problem for American national security, AIPAC links Israel’s interests
to something that does. Most
recently, their shtik has been about
Iran’s nuclear aspirations, and they have been exerting large amounts of
pressure on the American government to move from a focus on economic sanctions
and diplomacy to specific plans for military action.
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As an earlier
item noted (“Is Action Against Iran Really in our Best ‘Interest’?”), President
Obama stated his intention to continue pursuing diplomacy with Iran when he
spoke to AIPAC a week ago. However,
he also told the conference that he understood no Israeli government could
tolerate Iran’s possession of a bomb.
Israeli President Netanyahu later repeated
that understanding to the press as evidence that America supports Israel’s
security policy decisions. He did
not include Obama’s commitment to diplomacy in his statement to the press.
It’s not clear
that Iran’s intentions are only aggressive, either. Despite their frequent saber rattling, there have been recent
positive signs from Iran. In an
unprecedented move, Iran’s religious leader Ayatollah Khamenei, praised
Obama's dedication to diplomacy. Khamenei has rarely deigned to comment
on American policy in recent years, let alone compliment it. Obama is trying to walk a fine line
between placating AIPAC and pursuing pragmatic policies in Iran. He shouldn’t have to. While Israel is
an important American ally, American national defense strategies should be
designed to protect America, not Israel.
If you are
interested in diplomatic ways to address the Iranian nuclear issue, this is a
really interesting article: http://carnegieendowment.org/2012/02/04/iranian-nuclear-issue-achieving-win-win-diplomatic-solution/9hb2
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