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Kill the myth of "linkage" for America's sake

Reader comment on item: Republicans and Democrats Look at the Arab-Israeli Conflict

Submitted by Randall P. (United States), Mar 29, 2010 at 14:46

It seems that among the best things we can do right now is to debunk this resurrected myth of "linkage." The last 40 years have proven that despite being the most technologically advanced civilization on the planet, America is still prone to buying into illusions and myths - namely that the Muslim/Arab world will like America more if it abandons Israel, its Jewish partner in Western democracy.

Our wealth has turned our population into a field of flowers, able to absorb the natural wonders of the world, but quickly shrivels up and withers when it feels that its personal security is threatened. If the average Joe is deluded into thinking that our friendship with a "Jewish state," even a democratic one, makes the violence-breeding Muslim world like us less, then he will choose the phony security. But if this "linkage," the convenient delusion created by Israel's aggressive neighbors to gain undeserved sympathy is accepted as true, then Israel will suffer while America becomes the Arab world's patsy.

Obama has intentionally resurrected this "linkage" monster-phantom and held it up again after many years of being mostly buried. Its phoniness cannot be understood by the average TV addict. Simply making a ridiculous statement - that the U.S. war with Al Qaeda is being undermined by unhappy Palestinians - is believed by the simple-minded, so long as Obama or one of his team-members makes it. Even without explaining how. The simple statement is all that is necessary before the world press, including the NY Times, BBC, and even the press in Israel, begin to assume it has meaning and may be true, even if no one can explain how. That would require some real "thinking," not a strong trait for Americans today.

If they did think about it they'd discover the exact opposite of the "linkage" mythology: that most Arab countries where the Palestinians have moved to have been evicted or intentionally confined to refugee camps. Egypt doesn't like their radicalism, nor does Jordan or Lebanon. King

As a result, the only "linkage" that exists in Arab countries, along with Iran and Turkey, is the pretense that they actually want to help the Palestinians. They thereby use this pretense to control the politics of our U.S. leadership and its supporters, who will believe the fallacy of "linkage:" Help the war-making Muslims defeat the Jewish homeland, and the oil-rich Islamic world will like and respect you more. Maybe they'll let you have easier access to oil. And they'll keep loaning you back the dollars you gave them at the gas pump. Maybe they'll try to control their terrorists. That's what Europe assumes, anyway. Now we have Obama to convince Americans of the same fallacy – our newest myth-maker. He no doubt correctly believes that an American who loves "dancing with the stars" and watches "American idols," will believe anything you feed them. He seems to be right.

By focusing on debunking and exposing the myth of "linkage," we could go a long way to undermining those who wish to use that myth to harm Israel while it also weakens America as a reliable ally. Simply denying that "linkage" exists and challenging its U.S. promoters to prove its existence could pour water on this wicked phantom and help dissolve it. It would put its promoters on the defensive, in any case. It might even prove that Obama's buying into this myth for the sake of creating a pseudo-friendship with Muslim states is actually weakening America, as it has weakened the European states that still promote the "linkage" myth.

Remove the curtain from the myth and the real power reveals itself: our desire and addiction to petrodollars and cheap oil. If that's all America stands for, then at least we'll know.

Hussein of Jordan moved to quash the militancy of Palestinian organizations during "Black September" and Arafat he killed 20,000 Palestinian civilians before evicting them. They were speedily thrown out of Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the other Gulf states during Desert Storm. There are no Arab neighbors that have invited the Palestinians to live there and assimilate. The only state that has allowed them to assimilate and live in partnership is Israel, which took in over a million and still tries to convert them into a peaceful people - unsuccessfully.
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Reader comments (58) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
Why Nobody Understood President Trump and His Interruption of Israeli-American Politics [324 words]M ToveyMar 22, 2021 13:24264928
Revisiting The American Dynamic More Than a Year Later and Several Trillion Dollars Short - Unfullfilled Promises and Continued Contempt [196 words]M ToveyJul 15, 2022 13:36264928
1Divergence Started With Oslo Failures [223 words]DaveDec 28, 2016 13:31234944
US conservatives have changed; but not necessarily because of Israel [634 words]Michael SJan 14, 2017 10:49234944
Good Point Re Cold War [46 words]DaveJan 19, 2017 08:00234944
Maybe God wanted us all to have a turn being stupid. [290 words]Michael SJan 21, 2017 01:32234944
put a fork in it [12 words]cvtJul 13, 2015 15:37224178
2So why do American Jews support Democrats? [8 words]Fred McMurrayApr 20, 2015 10:17222968
bothersome pop-ups from danielpipes.org [269 words]Michael SMay 2, 2015 09:35222968
Ho hum -- another dynastic sham [84 words]Michael SApr 18, 2015 09:00222938
American Diplomacy on a Ride It will not be Able to Dismount [265 words]M. ToveyMay 4, 2015 16:03222938
Old water, old wineskins, old names [83 words]Michael SMay 8, 2015 10:10222938
Is Jewish support for PM Cameron and PM Harper a leading indicator of change? [79 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
PezDispenserApr 16, 2015 13:26222902
Jewish demographics and politics not easily generalized [372 words]Michael SMay 17, 2015 11:17222902
Trouble for America means trouble for the world [95 words]Michael SApr 16, 2015 04:20222890
Update time? [250 words]R. CraigenSep 8, 2012 02:18198453
Democrats and Israel [76 words]nadiaFeb 22, 2012 02:01193552
Perspective on Diversity [66 words]Straight_Talk_LuigiNov 1, 2010 23:19179832
4the current "peace talks" [219 words]Jules PostenOct 17, 2010 15:45179359
Fox news motives [177 words]AnonOct 16, 2010 18:40179317
Disrespectful and ill conceived comments [180 words]saraOct 16, 2010 19:14179317
It's not so simple [284 words]Peter HerzOct 16, 2010 19:23179317
Just speaking my mind [140 words]AnonOct 16, 2010 22:18179317
2Jews as a people or a religion [405 words]saraOct 17, 2010 19:54179317
1A Secular Israel Has No Future-Neither Republican or Democratic-Only a Biblical Future [1041 words]M. ToveyOct 18, 2010 18:05179317
please don't say that [75 words]mariahNov 14, 2010 03:17179317
fairy tale?? [129 words]y Brandstetter MDJun 23, 2011 11:30179317
the overriding factor [25 words]Jules PostenMar 30, 2010 13:13170775
1Three Overwhelming Facts/Arguments Being Ignored [373 words]Ron ThompsonMar 29, 2010 23:17170761
Kill the myth of "linkage" for America's sake [714 words]Randall P.Mar 29, 2010 14:46170755
A vote of no-confidence in Netanyahu [77 words]J SheffMar 29, 2010 13:55170754
do away with terms "pro-israel" or "pro-palestinian" [28 words]mayaMar 27, 2010 19:53170701
Questions and Hands [146 words]Jay1Mar 26, 2010 20:12170651
Each party and ideology should support the one country in the entie Middle East that is not planning to kill us. i.e. ISRAEL ! ..Mar 2010 [37 words]Phil GreendMar 26, 2010 15:05170642
longing for the armageddon? [88 words]G.VishvasJul 5, 2009 07:20158497
It won't be Armageddon [23 words]Tom DundeeMar 27, 2010 15:56158497
I think this is a combination of things [568 words]JayJun 21, 2009 15:15157731
help finding article [54 words]roger kleinJan 10, 2009 16:57147675
2The right to defend itself is the right of all countries including Israel [627 words]Tess McNamara (Australian and Pro Israel)Jan 2, 2009 23:29146704
1Names of Republican and Democrats. [8 words]SvetlanatchkaJan 2, 2009 17:38146675
14 favorable [10 words]YnnatchkahMar 7, 2008 14:09121997
14 in 100 people are favorable of the Palestinian Authority [69 words]KristaMar 8, 2008 17:51121997
Your point was better than mine. [10 words]YnnatchkahMar 8, 2008 21:20121997
Present Arab-Israeli conflict [82 words]John S. HancockJul 16, 2006 22:4349853
reply to John S. Hancock [125 words]mikeDec 15, 2006 14:0549853
1What Has Israel Done For the Palestinians? [60 words]Glenda LoughMar 27, 2010 16:0749853
1On "naming the Enemy" [779 words]Christina LuciaApr 21, 2006 18:4143765
Excellent [14 words]Glenda LoughMar 27, 2010 16:1343765
Build a consensus for Israel [49 words]Octavio JohansonApr 13, 2006 11:2443114
Whether liberal Democrats actually support Israel depends on the definiton of "support" [1496 words]Mark GoldApr 7, 2006 17:0442652
where are Democrats for Israel-east bay san francisco? [82 words]Shirl FinkApr 17, 2006 21:1542652
Reply to Mark Gold [382 words]Seamus MacNemiOct 18, 2007 15:3842652
I Am A Supporter [118 words]Tom DundeeMar 27, 2010 16:2542652
Lumping categories & support for Israel is bipartisan [121 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Emanuel GoldmanApr 4, 2006 18:2342366
Bipartisan support for Israel [14 words]Octavio JohansonApr 5, 2006 07:5442366
There is actuallly only one separation. [32 words]Tom DundeeMar 27, 2010 16:3442366
A note on one "irregularity" [30 words]pdbApr 4, 2006 11:3542306
Liberals merely in denial [47 words]Mark GarretsonApr 4, 2006 10:5942304

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Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".

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