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Mike Pinkel, my former classmate, has some thoughts on the US giving unconditional support to Israel. You should read his essay, but the gist is that our support for even Sharon's most radical actions is more reason for hatred of the US. Thus, dropping the policy of unconditional support would improve perceptions of the US and contribute to improved security.

I disagreed and left the following in his comments.

So many Arabs hate the US and Israel because the clerics and dictators in charge of their countries foment hatred of the US and Israel. They do this in order to distract their followers from the ceaseless exploitation of their national resources. Without this distraction, any person left to think for herself would demand the reform of her own government.

The middle east caricature of Israel is a ploy to maintain power. Leaders of these states and religions work hard to cut off their people from connecting to the rest of the world — economically, politically, and culturally — so that they can control what flows over that link. If all the exports and imports in a vast land go through one dictator or royal family, they decide who eats, who gets paid, who gets oil and technology and internet access. If this heavyhanded effort wasn't hidden behind layers of state-controlled media, the people would surely get up and bust some asses.

But the dictators are smart enough to know that people in groups can unite quite strongly against a common enemy. They invent and reinforce the image of that enemy by any means, because the failure of that illusion would expose Saddam, Asad, the Saudi Royals, etc. as oppressive, exploitative hypocrites.

So, would it help kill these illusions if we were more rational in our support for Israel? To put it jokingly, do you think Al-Jazeera or Syrian state television would herald the improvement in US foreign policy? It's hard for me to imagine that anything short of us dropping bombs on Israel wouldn't be disclaimed as a superficial ploy on the part of those lying Americans who think you and all you cherish are idiotic scum. (Actually, I suspect a bomb would be "revealed" as a bungled attempt to attack Syria.) You're not that simple are you? You're a good Muslim* aren't you? Don't you want to keep letting me take the oil under your house? Don't you want to continue sending your daughters to commit suicide attacks?

(*Note that when I use "Muslim" here I am BY NO MEANS suggesting that Islam is inherently tied to brutality or terrorism, except that those who foment terrorism exploit the language of Islam to incite their followers to the extreme measures required to continue their power. It's kinda like how Bush uses "down home boy" style and talks about "accountability", only far worse.)

So, what would help to destroy these illusions? We need ways that people can hold their governments accountable and get a picture of the truth about the world outside. They need economic opportunity, democratic government, and cultural openness. Examples: mobile phone antennas, votes for women, outsourcing contracts.

Also, making Iraq a nice place to live and work will improve things. Leaving Iraq a smoking hellhole and power vacuum will make things much worse. America seriously needs to get its shit together about this occupation.