American Parochialism: Armenia, the Dalai Lama and the Jewish Question
John Mearsheimer and Steven Walt, the authors of the ever controversial Israeli Lobby, continue to insist that the U.S. government is in the pocket of the American Jewish lobby. No, they are not anti-Semites. But yes, they are wrong - not because the Israeli lobby isn't powerful, but because Middle Eastern policy is only one among a legion of others that are made on the basis of a stunted American parochialism that filters all foreign policy through a self-indulgent domestic lens.
Two new controversies from today's headlines make this ever so clear: the Israeli-leaning U.S. Congress turns out to be the Armenian-leaning and the Tibet-leaning U.S. Congress, even when these "for domestic consumption only" inclinations reflect a disastrously parochial disdain for realism and jeopardize relations with Turkey and China. One hundred years ago, a predecessor regime to the modern Turkish regime (the Ottoman Empire), committed genocide. The Congress has decided that precisely now - as we depend more than ever on Turkish assistance in the war in Iraq and are trying to dissuade the Turkish government from incursions in Kurdish Iraq - is the perfect time to condemn a regime five generations away from the original events for this horrendous but ancient tragedy.
Likewise, the Congress has decided that this is the ideal moment - as we try to win Chinese cooperation on keeping Iran nuclear free and ask the Chinese government to show more tolerance on human rights - to honor the Dalai Lama with its highest medal, though the exercise is bound to infuriate China. Tibet and Taiwan are China's two great bugaboos, holding out the specter of national disintegration, China's most ancient and profound anxiety.
So, no Professors Mearsheimer and Walt, the United States is not in hoc to Israel, it is in hoc to parochialism. It doesn't make foreign policy according to the Jewish lobby's wishes, it makes foreign policy to indulge a host of domestic concerns and self-celebratory varieties of hide-bound insularity. The United States remains a hegemonic global superpower sporting the narrow outlook of mini-states like Monaco and Lichtenstein.
It is not just Middle Eastern policy that is skewed, it is American relations with China, Turkey, France (remember "freedom fries?") and many other states vital to the pursuit of U.S. interests in an interdependent world.
The bad news is that when it comes to international affairs, America remains trapped in self-righteous and self-defeating provincialism. The good news is that this means the power of the Israeli lobby is merely a subordinate clause in the greater story of endless American parochialism. It is the latter and not the former we need to overcome.
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Dear US Citizen,
The last time a human rights issue created so much soul searching in America was probably September 22, 1862, when Abraham Lincoln signed a presidential decree for the emancipation of the slaves.
The House Foreign Relations Committee vote 27/21 on H. R. 106, acknowledging the Armenian Genocide, is the emancipation of the survivors of the victims of the genocide. This is a giant step forward for more reverence to human dignity here in the United States of America and in the context of our image in the world both for our allies and for our adversaries.
This is the greatest gesture of love and respect to the Turkish people. Those who advocate denial treat the Turkish people as sub-human being not able to handle the truth. Our NATO brother-in-arms should know that, just as David Kaczynski brought his brother Theodore John Kaczynski (The Unabomber) to justice, America will not stand idle for deniers of Genocide.
Americans, who oppose this human rights issue, are bigots and racists who do not think that the Turkish people have the common sense and the decency to be treated as civilized human beings. Instead, these deniers are treating the Turks as if they are the ‘Barbarian of the Middle East’ who cannot be treated as equal to people living in Western democracies.
Hence, while we do not deny the Holocaust because we have bases and enlisted personnel in Germany, these people make us believe that we should treat the Turks as sub-human barbarians and let their government deny a crime so that we can use their bases.
It is a shame that the present administration still opposes this important human rights achievement. It is a disgrace that there are still people amongst us who see no harm in denying a crime for profit.
This administration and its supporters marched into the White House as the defenders of the faith and the family values, they turned up to be a pack of wolves ready to sell America’s honor to criminals.
All of us who have doubts about the wisdom of the Congressional resolution on the Armenian genocide (Yes, it was horrible and it did happen), do so appreciate being branded as bigots.
"...these deniers are treating the Turks as if they are the "Barbarian of the Middle East" who cannot be treated as equal to people living in Western democracie
Actually, I have plenty of good regard for the Turkish people, but I have a pretty low regard for their current government. In this respect, my position is like that of a European or Middle Easterner who can say he likes the American people, but hates the American government because of its current policies.
This business of chastising foreigners for their past sins and their denials is highly suspect, as we do not have a spotless past or present regarding murder and mayhem. Further along these lines, if we are to condemn the Turks for the Armenian genocide, are we to continue to turn a blind eye to the widespread denials of war crimes committed by the Japanese during World War Two. This is demonstrated by their refusal to allow references in their school textbooks to the rape of Nanking and their persecution of any Japanese citizens who raise such issues.
When I was learning to drive, I used to protest to my father, "But I had the right of way!" Then he would remind me that many a dead person "had the right of way."
We Must Stand For Something.
Yes. Very well said!!
"Actualy,Lee Harvey Oswald was Jewish,so was Jack Ruby".Huh?
That's a new one on me!!I knew about Jack Ruby,But Oswald???
Reminds me of a note on a bathroom wall of a preppy bar during the Nixon admin.,"Le
But getting back to the subject at hand;A glaring example of American Provincialism and AIPAC infuence;Condi rice embarks on a PR trip advocating Palestinian Statehood.
All this taking place after her boss makes a loan guarantee to Isreal for an expenditure of 30 BILLION BUCKS over the years to update it's military and"defense"system.
Also after repeated scuttling of any statehood movements, over the years,by Israeli Hawks.
One can't help but wonder,how do we describe the mental caccoon America resides in!!
Thom Hartmann cuts off a caller who was talking about the Israel Lobby book claiming "anytime someone calls to hype a book - I'm sorry - no thanks." BUT he let a guy just two calls before hype a book! See fro yourself:
http://rep
video page ALSO hear what John Mearsheimer had to say about the Iraq War and the Israel Lobby.
"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by politicians, statesmen and divines. With consistency, a great mind has simply nothing to do." Emerson
Parochialism just does not fit - it is bland.
How about duplicity?
Without regard to the intensity of the Israeli lobby - the influence is not in the best interests of THIS country. Period. But, those who actively organize and seek to determine their own political agenda will continue to prevail over those who only wait feverishly to watch their favorite sports team play and take no interest in politics or political fact.
Fat, dumb and (for the time being) happy on their shining city on the hill..
There is something in the universe called the law of progress. These are spiritual laws not human or religious laws. Human laws and principles are flawed in the direction of individualism and materialism. Religious teachings are flawed in the direction of blaming and judging even through Jesus warned against such things.
An individual or a society by “necessity” must adhere to this law of progress. If you create a society based on capitalism where greed is good and materialism is honored above spiritual laws, which are almost always opposite of the dogma religion preaches then an individual and a society will experience exactly what is happening in America.
Such as wars for profits, imperialism, shrinking wealth, high prices, elitist society of haves and have not’s, and yes even parochialism.
And most of all a God made in man’s image to promote bigotry and materialism. Atheists, evangels, nor anyone or society is immune to this law of progress.
This law of progress is often referred to as karma or what we sow we reap. We in America are now reaping our unchecked capitalism and individualism. (I.e. spineless demos and warmongering repubs).
And yet, in a larger sense, there is no such law and there is no god. Please wake up.
Researcher, sorry to disappoint you...ther
Also sad but true, is that evil-doers do not always get their just desserts, in fact some of them prosper and are praised...
The problem with Israel is that they can't make up their mind whether they are white folks or little brown Arabs.
They have taken possession of a piece of the Middle East because they originate from there, so the say, so they must be Arabs. Now they are asking the West for help pretty much on the assumption they are one of them, i.e. white. Of course that would make them evil colonists which is why Europe does not like them.
So, they need to decide: Either they are white, then they should pick up and leave (every Askenazi Jews has an European or U.S. passport, for that matter) or they should embrace their Arab heritage and learn to get along with their little brown brothers. If Iran and Iran can, why not they?
Best thing to hasten that would be to pull any financial help.
Benjamin R. Barber:
American Parochialism: Armenia, the Dalai Lama and the Jewish Question
Very often when people speak of being fair to all the people - Those who think they can dictate what thing's are and will be - Push the most for what they deam as good ...
Take the schip program - They dump it on one groupe of people - and say thats a good thing - But everybody else does not want to help pay for it ...
Take the Iraq WAR - It's a good thing when just the WARRIOR'S and FAMILY are paying for it - But ask other's to get rid of the tax cut's - Too help - buy better armour - You see no help from them ...
It has become easy for them to rush out and preach to other's what they should be doing - Just as long as other's are paying for there fancy ROBE'S !!!
.
I find this article quite insightful. Parochialism may be a word however that doesn't ring as true to our fellow countryman as the our notion to be individualistic to the extreme. Our strength can be our weakness as we cling to the belief of individualism without recognizing it is the cooperation and help of others that makes it so. The operative question for many seems to be--"What's in it for me?" Until this is expanded to the view that that personal survival depends heavily on mutual survival, the support of fervent causes that lead nowhere collectively will continue. Thank you for your thoughtful article.
I forgot about Syria. They have Kurds too. WWIII might begin in Syria, then Iran. Words start wars...and look who's translating.
"A United Nations press release discussing the General Assembly’s Disarmament Committee meeting mistranslated comments ascribed to an unnamed Syrian diplomat as saying that Israel had on various occasions “taken action against nuclear facilities, including the 6 July attack in Syria.”
The UN has since gone through the tape recordings of the meeting and found that there was no mention of the word “nuclear” at all. According to the UN, the error was one of translation, involving several interpreters translating the same meeting."
http://raw
Excuse me!
This administration has been on a full scale bent to destroy the earth since taking office.
They even PRAY for it.
Axis of Evil Speech.
Inciting the angers over Taiwan.
F-16, nuclear ready, to Pakistan.
Favorable nuclear talks with India, while insulting and demeaning Iran.
Dishonoring the elections of Hezbollah and Hamas and FREE elections.
Demonizing an entire faith, Islam and 1.2 BILLION people.
Forcing Immigration issues that rode for 6 years unattended.
Dehumanizing blacks in America, neglecting their people, blaming every ill from crime and drugs, to welfare on them.
Scorning the United Nations.
Humiliating France.
Claiming Spain to be cowards.
Threatening death by assignation on the Venezuelan President.
Pleading with God to take Castro and fomenting Cuban angers.
Wars now in Kenya, Somalia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Iraq, Kurdistan, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine.
Yes, I read the Christian Bible too.
I had always, always wondered how God would separate the,,,,
Wheat from the Chaff.
Who stands in the midst and as the source of all this chaos and agression?
The extremists of the Neo-Cons and the Zionist Politica, with the Wahhabi 9/11 perpetrators cheering from the sidelines.
Please do,,,,, keep in mind that the PEOPLE of Israel, THE PEOPLE,,, went to the streets to have their armies pulled out of Lebanon.
The TRUTH always comes to the light.
ALWAYS! Evil is seen best by its EXCESS!
Now BUSH even boasts of a coming WW III. In my humble view, it is already here. Over 16 million people now flee American wars.
You know what else really shocks me?????
Of all the people to attack and hate; why the Persians?
Cyrus II set the Hebrews free.
Seems that TRULY,,,, no good deed goes unpunished.
Even if it takes 2,545 years.
But hey? Who`s counting.
All the best
Knute (Neo-LIB
The answer is simple: Israel needs the Kurds for espionage in Iran, so The Lobby gives the greenlight to Congress to back the Armenians, so America can put the squeeze on Turkey to back off the Kurds.
From Juan Cole:
"The Congressional vote came despite the discomfort of elements of the Israel lobby with recognizing the mass killing of Armenians as a genocide. Andrew E. Mathis explains Abraham Foxman's intellectually bankrupt vacillations on this issue. Foxman and others of his ideological orientation have been forced grudgingly to back off their genocide denial in the case of the Armenians by a general shift in opinion among the American public, and his change of position may have removed any fears among congressional representatives that the Israel lobby would punish them for their vote. (Turkey and Israel have long had a strong military and diplomatic relationship, which the Israel lobby had earlier attempted to preserve by lobbying congress on Turkey's behalf with regard to some issues. But the Israel lobby is now split between pro-Kurdish factions and pro-Turkish factions, and the pro-Kurdish ones appear to be winning out. Richard Perle & Michael Rubin of AEI are examples of the pro-Turkish Neoconservative strain in the Israel lobby. They are losing.)"
http://www
"By supporting Kurdish separatists, Israel also risks alienating its Turkish ally and undermining attempts to create a stable Iraq. "If you end up with a divided Iraq it will bring more blood, tears and pain to the Middle East and you will be blamed," a senior Turkish official told Mr Hersh. "
http://www
Spot on elliot - look who Turkey went to for help!
Fire Foxman
http://www
Abdullah Gul needed a favor...th
Abraham Foxman"s ADL acquiesced
...the ADL joined three other American Jewish organizations"the American Jewish Committee, B'nai Brith International, and the Jewish Institute of National Security Affairs"to deliver to Congress a written plea from the Jews of Turkey that the U.S. not recognize the Armenian Genocide..
"I don't think congressional action will help reconcile the issue. The resolution takes a position; it comes to a judgment," said Foxman in a statement issued to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. "The Turks and Armenians need to revisit their past. The Jewish community shouldn't be the arbiter of that history, nor should the U.S. Congress." Foxman"s statement is in every way that matters equivalent to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad"s claim that he takes no position on the historicity of the Jewish Holocaust, but only hopes to see the matter resolved by dispassionate study... virtually no one other than Turkish lobbyists had explained their opposition by challenging the nearly undisputed consensus among historians that a genocide did indeed take place.
It's easy to issue condemnations. It assuages the soul and quiets noisy constituents.
Nothing changes, except that those condemned are royally unhappy and even less likely to alter their own positions.
This sort of cheap politics isn't just parochial, it's tawdry and avoids taking actions that would positively change the situation.
On the other hand, seeing how poorly our actions have worked in the past to achieve positive change, perhaps worthless condemnations are the lesser of two evils.
Americans may be clueless when it comes to the foreign policy implications of their actions. Of course one only has to look at modern European history tp see true political stupidity.
I'm not sure what you are saying.
Are you saying that we accede to the Chinese wishes and threats and allow them to be our guide in how we behave to a great spiritual figure? If the figure was a very wise and spiritually adept, a world renowned and respected leader who was a rebbi would you feel the same way if the Muslim world objected?
Are you suggesting that genocide of Armenians by Turks who lived 5 generations ago should not be recognized because the Turks feelings will be hurt? So the parochialism of the Turks should be honored?
I understand that the Turks have a well developed sense of national pride and honor, some might say over developed. A Turkish professor friend of mine who grew up in an almost medieval village would say when discussions of this or that bewildering sense of honor would come up..."What do you expect, we are still barbarians, we just got off of horses." (maybe you had to be there.) In any event if I am reading you correctly you are saying that we ought to create policy or avoid policy to appease those we want something from. If we are planning on using them for something we shouldn't upset them ... except Arabs. But not Saudi Arabs... they should be appeased as well. (Turks are not Arabs and are often rather contemptuous of them in private anyway.) And Israel fits in here somewhere.
more coming of course!
So, we must not upset the Chinese, the Turks, or any one else we might want something from. And Israel... Israel fits into this somewhere, though I'm not getting the authors point. I don't know what we want from them or are using them for... It doesn't seem to be in our best interests and I have never known what they had on us. Is it just strateegery? Maybe the collusion of the robber barons has us guilt ridden?
Now there is something that might make it easier for the Turks to deal with the condemnation. Why not condemn ourselves for slavery, the decimation of the Indian Nations and the collusion by the wealthy with the Nazi's in the early days. That would be good for starters.
Now that is an America that would be fair and just. That is an America that could stand up on the world stage as an example of what it is to accept responsibility for the injustices we have perpetrated. That is an America that would make many of us proud. And of course make the right wing neo-con nut jobs insane... more insane with more worthless foam from the mouth.I would add in Iraq, but come on... we really know that won't happen. Like ending the war it will be left to a future President.
I agree that there is an insularity and lack of sophistication in policy making. parochialism indeed, our way or the highway.
Maybe that is because we have been isolated in the past from very overt outside influences (or protected might be a word some would choose) because of our being so large a mass bordered by oceans. We never did pay too much attention to Canada and Mexico as very quickly they posed no threat.
We didn't have to develop a cosmopolitan view of the world. One that the framers must certainly have had and I would imagine they would be appalled by the lack of nuanced critical thinking, and far reaching vision by our nation's leaders, government and policies today.
We certainly didn't have to develop consistency with our policies. Just look at the regimes we have backed and then turned on. There seems to be no policies that we aren't willing to change, no friendships we aren't willing to betray (except Israel) for a perceived better deal. Look at the tragic consequences our interference has created all around the world. What is it about humans that they believe so deeply that they must control everything they can touch... if there is any possibility of control someone will try to grab it.
Of course our country may have been founded on noble principles but all the actions taken to get there, and then to expand were not so noble. It is not to say that this is human history but our history is very short so there is little distance between how we massacred a people and took what we wanted. Could it still be influencing us know? Perhaps we are still in that infancy of believing we can have it all and have it our way. Everyone who stands in front of what we want is the enemy, is evil, is a threat to "our national interests.
The author didn't really develop any ideas. His main thrust seems to be, "Don't criticize AIPAC and the neocons about Mideast policy because other aspects of American policy are also flawed."
Well, I'm not buying into two wrongs , or four, make a right. We're not spending a trillion dollars in a war against China(yet).
We are stuck in a huge mess which was obviously started for the sake of oil and the Isreali right-wing, at the behest of neocons, a very pseudo-intellectual bunch, all of whom happen to be Zionists! Anyone wanna deny that?
Changing the subject to China, Armenia, etc., doesn't change the facts of the Iraq fiasco by one iota!
Morality is simply the attitude we adopt towards people whom we personally dislike.
Oscar Wilde
Wow.
gotta love that Wilde guy.
Thanks.
I guess that is why Israel is so "moral" about being democratic and all while pushing the owners of the land into the sea. I guess they personally dislike the Palestinians.
I think the real problem with AIPAC is that it fosters the false idea that any criticism of Israel or Israeli policies are a form of anti-semitism. This is clearly false. Israel routinely commit atrocities against their neighbors, kill Arab children etc.
For me the cluster bombs dropped in Lebanese civilian areas speaks volumes about Israel and Israeli policy...t
This is not anti-semitism, it is anti-Israe
I don't like AIPAC because they represent a mostly right wing ideology. However, could you please explain in what ways the following quote is accurate
"I think the real problem with AIPAC is that it fosters the false idea that any criticism of Israel or Israeli policies are a form of anti-semit
How does it "foster" these ideas? Some critics of Israel are clearly antisemitic (which, by the way is spelled without the hyphen). In fact, most antisemites are anti-Israel. So, you can't point to every accusation of antisemitism as supporting the idea that "any criticism of Israel" is antisemitic.
As a side point, I think, those who are anti-Israel are too thin skinned and too self defensive. So what if some idiot accuses you of things you are not?
If you speak up for "universal health care", some yahoo will call you a communist. If you speak up for "victims rights" some fool will call you a fascist.
If you are genuinely not opposed to Jews, but speak out against militarism and for Palestinian rights, somebody may mislabel you. So what?
Why do folks claim, that in this one situation, name calling is a discussion killer. Seems to me, in America, name calling is normal to all passionate debate
Thank you for the grammar lesson.
And your point is?
Your logic is false...cr
I don't like people or nations that drop cluster bombs on children. Period. I think it is immoral...
The root of my dislike is the action...a
People are what they do, not what they say...and not what lobbyist spin-meisters manage to make people believe.
Israeli policy is murderous, oppressive and despicable
Personally I can live without morality lessons given by these two nations.
YOu are correct retarius. Great comment.
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