-Caveat Lector-
>From http://www.antiwar.com/paul/paul28.html
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American Foreign Policy and the Middle East Powder Keg
by Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX)
April 2, 2002
The situation in the Israeli-occupied West Bank territories deteriorated into virtually
all-out war in the past week, with both sides escalating the rhetoric and the violence.
The continued leadership of PLO Chairman Arafat seems doomed. The
administration now finds itself in an uncomfortable but familiar role as peacemaker
for the Middle East conflict; Presidents from Carter to Clinton have tried and failed
to
create lasting peace. Yet while our diplomatic efforts are well-intentioned and
needed, we must resist efforts by the UN and some in the administration to go
beyond diplomacy and impose our political will in the Middle East.
Remember that American tax dollars have been instrumental in the incredible
militarization of the entire region. We give Israel about $3 billion each year, but we
also give Egypt $2 billion. Most other Middle East countries get money too, some of
which ends up in Palestinian hands. Both sides have far more military weapons as a
result. Talk about adding fuel to the fire! Our foolish and unconstitutional foreign
aid,
though debatably well-intentioned, only intensifies the conflict.
Congress and each successive administration pledge their political, financial, and
military support for Israel. Yet while we call ourselves a strong ally of the Israeli
people, we send billions in foreign aid every year to Muslim states like Egypt, Syria,
and Turkey- states that many Israelis regard as enemies. From the Israeli point of
view, many of the same Islamic nations we fund with our tax dollars want to destroy
the Jewish state. So while Israeli Prime Minister Sharon understandably touts his
close alliance with the U.S., many average Jews see America as hypocritically
hedging its bets.
This illustrates perfectly the inherent problem with foreign aid: once we give money to
one country, we have to give it to all the rest or risk making enemies. This is
especially true in the Middle East and other strife-torn regions, where our financial
support for one side is seen as an act of aggression by the other.
Just as our money never satisfies Israel, it doesn�t buy us any true friends elsewhere
in the region. Foreign aid or not, the Islamic world sees America as a constant
aggressor in the Middle East. Muslims resent our role in bringing the Shah of Iran to
power, and they resent our permanent military bases in Saudi Arabia. They view our
ongoing bombing and sanctions campaign in Iraq as wholly unjustified, believing it
harms innocent Iraqis but not Saddam Hussein. They especially resent our
tremendous financial support for Israel. In the eyes of many Muslims, to be at war
with Israel is to be at war with America.
It is time to challenge the notion that it is our job to broker peace in the Middle
East
and every other troubled region across the globe. America can and should use every
diplomatic means at our disposal to end the violence in the West Bank, but we
should draw the line at any further entanglement in this deadly and ancient dispute.
We cannot impose political solutions in Palestine or anywhere else. Peace can be
achieved only when self- determination operates freely in all nations. "Solutions"
imposed by outsiders or the UN cause resentment and seldom produce lasting
peace.
Respect for self-determination really is the cornerstone of a sensible foreign policy,
yet many Americans who strongly support U.S. sovereignty advocate interventionist
policies that deny other nations that same right. The interventionist approach that has
dominated American foreign policy since World War I hasproduced an unmitigated
series of disasters. From Korea to Vietnam to Kosovo to the Middle East, American
military and economic meddling has made numerous conflicts worse, not better.
Washington and Jefferson had it right when they warned against entangling
alliances, and the history of the 20th century proves their point. The simple truth is
that we cannot resolve every human conflict across the globe, and there will always
be violence somewhere on earth. If we care about the self-determination of the
Israeli and Palestinian people, and if we care about the Constitution, we must adopt
a neutral, diplomatic role in the conflict and stop funding both sides.
Ron Paul, M.D., represents the 14th Congressional District of Texas in the United
States House of Representatives.
End<{{{
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