I agree with you that that's a better example in the sense that the same "Israel lobby" people are at the center in both cases: in the one case, leading the charge that sanctions are essential; in the other case, leading the charge in saying that sanctions are anti-Semitic, blah blah. So the hypocrisy is more pure and extreme. (The Gaza blockade would be another great example in this sense.)
But I think the Russia example is better in the sense that for most liberals - and that's the audience, as almost always - Russia hasn't been demonized nearly as much as Iran has. Iran has been so demonized in U.S. public discourse that I think it would be hard for many people to get the argument, because they are so inculcated in the idea that Iran is evil and therefore we have to have sanctions on Iran, that any argument that seems to imagine a world in which we might not have sanctions on Iran would just seem to be ridiculous on its face and be hard to process. It's unfortunate, but it's my experience: a lot of people don't have a very strong grip on the concept of analogy, so that if you say, "A is to B as C is to D," if they already have very hot negative associations with C but not with A, the analogy can't work. What they hear is: "OMIGOD! You're comparing A to C! That's outrageous!" That's why I didn't want to compare it to sanctions on Iran. On Fri, Mar 7, 2014 at 12:45 PM, Joseph Catron <[email protected]> wrote: > I think there's a better, more obvious example: the sanctions on Iran for > which Zionists, from Netanyahu down, have screeched the loudest. > > It's been funny (and perhaps also teachable) to watch Zionists cozy up to > actual swastika-wearers in Kiev, but I haven't seen any indication they're > a driving force behind sanctions. > > > On Fri, Mar 7, 2014 at 5:36 PM, Robert Naiman < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> I thought this might be a "teachable moment" to contrast the complete >> lack of controversy around sanctioning Russia to the manufactured hysterics >> around the slightest hint of pressuring the Israeli government. >> >> ==== >> >> If We Can Sanction Russia Over Crimea, We Can Sanction Israel Over >> Palestine >> Robert Naiman, Just Foreign Policy, March 7, 2014 >> >> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/russia-sanctions_b_4917854.html >> >> I'm *so delighted* that President Obama and Congress are moving to impose >> sanctions on >> Russia<http://news.yahoo.com/heavier-sanctions-russia-could-backfire-084345984.html> >> over >> its military intervention in Crimea. Regardless of whether one thinks this >> is a wise or just policy in the case of Russia, this is setting a great >> political precedent in the United States for considering boycotts, >> divestment, and sanctions on Israel over its military occupation of >> Palestine -- the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem. >> >> Until now, it has been the case that in the United States, if you talk >> about any kind of boycott, any kind of divestment, any kind of sanction to >> pressure the Israeli government to end its military occupation of >> Palestine, some apologists for the Israeli occupation have gone into >> rhetorical meltdown. Until now, we've collectively tolerated that the >> hysterical opposition to "BDS" of these apologists for the Israeli >> occupation be taken seriously in public discourse. In New >> York<http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/NewYork-free-speech> >> , Maryland <http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/maryland-free-speech>, >> and Illinois <http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/Illinois-free-speech>, >> state legislators want to punish you if you *even think* about >> boycotting one egg from the Israeli occupation. We're all for the right of >> free speech -- unless you misuse your free speech rights to say something >> bad about the Israeli occupation of Palestine. >> >> But now, when it is proposed to sanction Russia over its military >> intervention in Crimea, it passes through public discourse like a hot knife >> through butter. No one complains that Russia is being "unfairly singled >> out." No one claims that people who want to impose sanctions on Russia are >> motivated by an irrational hatred of the Russian people. No one claims that >> supporters of sanctions want to "delegitimize Russia" or "destroy Russia," >> nor that supporters of sanctions "refuse to accept Russia's right to exist." >> >> People are raising legitimate questions about sanctions on Russia, as >> they always should when new sanctions are proposed. Are they likely to be >> effective at achieving stated goals? Who is likely to be harmed by them, >> directly or indirectly? If they will harm innocent people, is that harm >> ethically justifiable? >> >> But no one with any influence in public discourse is calling supporters >> of sanctions against Russia bad names, or demanding that they be punished >> for their political opinions. >> >> Let's draw a line in the sand. From now on, supporters of sanctions >> against Israel for its military occupation of Palestine must demand the >> same respect for our democratic rights that supporters of sanctions against >> Russia for its military intervention in Crimea enjoy. From now on, we must >> not tolerate any abrogation of our democratic rights to advocate for >> boycott, divestment, and sanctions against the Israeli occupation. Let's >> start by telling legislators in New >> York<http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/NewYork-free-speech> >> , Maryland <http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/maryland-free-speech>, >> and Illinois <http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/Illinois-free-speech> to >> kill legislation abrogating our democratic rights to advocate for sanctions >> against the Israeli occupation. I'm looking at you, Illinois diaspora. "By >> the rivers gently flowing." Stand up for our First Amendment rights. >> -- >> Robert Naiman >> Policy Director >> Just Foreign Policy >> www.justforeignpolicy.org >> [email protected] >> (202) 448-2898, extension 1 >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> pen-l mailing list >> [email protected] >> https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l >> >> > > > -- > "Hige sceal þe heardra, heorte þe cenre, mod sceal þe mare, þe ure mægen > lytlað." > > _______________________________________________ > pen-l mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l > > -- Robert Naiman Policy Director Just Foreign Policy www.justforeignpolicy.org [email protected] (202) 448-2898, extension 1.
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