Reading Between The Lines
December 4, 2008
Reuters image posted on Foxnews.com
Stories like this one from Fox News fascinate me. The story is about how Israel has plans to attack Iran without U.S. consent. What’s fascinating about it is not what’s written in the story, in fact, it has nothing to do with the content of the story at all. It has to do with the reason the article exists in the first place.
This is a great example of the military using the Press to accomplish it’s goals. If Israel was planning a secret attack on Iran, do you think Israeli defense officials would be talking about it to the media? Strategically, this is a no-brainer. Of course they wouldn’t. So why the article?
The article serves at least two purposes. First, It gives Israel an opportunity to observe the Iranian defenses. You can bet that after an article like this appears in the media Iran is going to bolster their defenses and, in particular, their air defenses. All Israel wants to do at this point is observe. They want to see how the Iranians respond militarily and politically. They will be looking for any weakness they can exploit.
The second purpose of the article, and perhaps the real reason for the piece, is to gauge the response from the incoming Obama administration. The Israelis want to know if the new administration is going to be a friend or foe to Israel. If the Obama administration responds with condemnation, Israel can bet that the new administration will not be very friendly. If the Obama administration responds with statements like “Israel has the right to defend itself against possible aggression,” then Israel will know they have a friend in the new administration.
So keep your eyes and ears open! The next few weeks will be very telling with respect to U.S.-Israeli relations. And when it comes to stories like this, always remember to read between the lines.
I also appreciate the fact that they are talking about “permission” from the US. The UN is still pretty toothless without the US and this article makes no bones about that fact. I just wanted to go an a minor tangent and point out that never before in history have we had a nation (empire, what have you) this powerful that exercised such incredible restraint on the world stage.
Also, it would not bother me at all if Israel followed through on their plans. I think any theocracy necessarily needs to be limited in technology to the rationality that they exhibit. Islam, and any of the other fundamental sky-god sects should have access to nothing more potent than a scimitar with which to terrorize the rest of the planet.
Are my colors showing yet?
Your point about the UN is well taken, however the Israeli Defense Ministry Official is quoted as saying they can conduct this mission without U.S. “coordination” and “consultation.” Both these terms imply Israeli sovereignty and control regardless of the permission granted by the U.S.
I also agree with your assessment of how civilized nations now exercise excessive restraint not seen before in history. In historical terms, the idea of “might makes right” seemed to end at the dawn of the nuclear age. Perhaps there is some credence to the idea of “mutually assured destruction” (MAD).