Israel Is Preparing for the End of American Power
For me, one of the most vexing questions regarding the Israeli-American relationship is “why is their right wing so chummy with our right wing?” Or, “why would anyone non-Christian want to associate with a bunch of backward, mouth-breathing Dominionists praying for the deaths of all Jews?” Yes, the American right is dull and easily steered, but if Israel is dependent on American money and political clout, then rooting for incompetent, thieving morons like the modern Republican party seems suicidal. What happens when the party of Trump finally succeeds in destroying the US?
Well, according to Robert Farley at Lawyers, Guns and Money, Israel’s government is ready:
But while Israeli economic and especially social relations with the United States and Europe remain very important, its global structural position has changed. China (which recognized Israel in 1992) is now Israel’s second largest export target, and will shortly be its largest source of imports. There are heavy capital flows in both directions…
Israeli-Russian relations are complicated, but trade ties are growing, social ties are immense (in some ways more immense that US-Israeli ties), and Bibi and Putin seem to be personally fond of one another. And with respect to India… well…
What I did not understand for a very long time is that Bibi had a pretty good handle on these trends. I used to wonder why Bibi took such joy in alienating and provoking potential allies in Europe and the United States, and especially in making Israel a partisan issue in the US. While there’s certainly a psychological aspect to it, I think that he also had a pretty good sense that Israel’s economy was dynamic enough, and its Asian partners flexible enough, that he could afford to take some risks with respect to the West. And now it’s paid off handsomely, as he enjoys a strong ally in Washington as well as good relations with Moscow, Delhi, and Beijing.
So, Israel has been building ties with Russia and China, which means they don’t need to worry about sanctions from the US and Europe- as if Trump would ever do anything. Whatever you think about Netanyahu, he’s a rational actor. Just like Putin, Xi Jinping, and even Kim Jong Un. The Republican party, from Trump to his asshole voters, are simply unable to think of a world where America isn’t dominate- or even think at all. What happens if Israel decides America’s a lost cause, and cuts off our ports there? And no country on Earth is stupid enough to trust us after we betrayed our deal with Iran. Obama or Clinton could navigate this situation and bring us in for a soft landing, but the Republican party is destroying our government and burning all bridges to the outside world, while showing their bellies to our rivals.