Thomas P.M. Barnett :: Weblog

A reader is disappointed by my tendency to link the current push for war with Iran to Israel's consistent arguments toward this end.

The comment is found here. My reply is below.

"Scratch Israel's itch" doesn't qualify as impugning motives, it simply denotes an obvious desire for America to engage in a war on Israel's behalf. I believe that desire, while arguably justified from Israel's calculations, is dangerously unjustified from America's current set of situations and goals. As such, I reject Israel's apparent demand for a zero deductible on strategic risk, something we've never granted an ally, nor should we (including the similarly-incentivized House of Saud).

I simply don't see that stance serving America's long-term interests, nor Israel's. I also believe it unworthy of near-term expenditure of American blood and treasure, two assets we must currently value at a premium.

My consistent criticism of fear mongers falls into the same category. I don't calculate matters of war and peace on the basis of emotion--especially implied guilt.

So I ask readers to please spare me the implied anti-semitism through imagined impugning. Argue the points but skip the tortuous attempts at shaming me into silence.

Israel's 200 nuclear warheads provide all the genocidal capacity it needs to adequately defend itself. This strategic Goliath can hardly pass as David any more, meaning any American obligation to ensure survival was fulfilled long ago.

Now, with such great power comes great responsibility. There are no chosen peoples in such strategic calculations, just immeasurable risk for a species.

We are way beyond anyone's claim on "holy lands" at that point.

Moreover, we're collectively into double digits on holocausts since 1900, so the emotional power of that image hardly absolves anyone from responsibility to contemplate the costs of war. Simply put, it conveys no moral authority whatsoever when we cross over into discussions of nuclear strikes. It merely reminds us of the stakes everyone shares.

I don't believe in dividing my loyalties under any religious or ethnic or ideological garb. Under the right conditions, I'd nuke Dublin or the Vatican in a heartbeat to ensure my country's survival. There are no unique categories. That's what makes MAD so terrifyingly effective. It's also why Israel stockpiles nuclear weapons, so no disingenuousness here--please.

I've been routinely hounded by partisans on both sides of the Israeli-Muslim divide for my "obvious bias," so such transparent attempts to quiet my analysis--consistent in its logic but unsparing in its targeting--are a wasted effort.

I have but one client, and while it has many permanent interests and equities, it has no permanent friends--nor should it in this world.

Such is the necessary but troublesome burden of the Leviathan.