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this post was submitted on 24 May 2024
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The thing is, there are tons of US bases in the Middle East other than the ones in Israel. Qatar (who has their own moral issues, but is not actively commiting genocide), for example, has some of the largest US bases in the area. So, the question should be asked: do we really need to keep a country doing a genocide as our ally to maintain power projection in the Middle East? I think the US could get by just fine.
I think the US could get by just fine with no presence in the Middle East at all. But if we are going to be in the Middle East, Israel is a far more capable ally than Qatar. And what do we do if Qatar does something horrific tomorrow? Pack up and move to Saudi Arabia? Is there really anyplace in the world we can form serious alliances without unsavoury partners? Could we even ally with ourselves?
I think the US could be a lot more honest about what Israel is doing, and we could put a whole lot more pressure on them to stop doing it. We should be doing more of both, but our alliance is exactly what gives us the leverage to do that. That is, unless we want to get involved militarily. But if we are going to do that, there are plenty of other places in the world that are just as worthy.
Israel is doing something horrific (genocide) today, that's the difference. As stated, those countries do have their own issues. But none are currently participating in a genocide of this scale.
And yes, I would prefer if we did pull out of being allied to countries that do genocide. We can also do other things, like not supporting them by giving them the weapons they need, without fully falling out. There's a lot of options that we just aren't doing, many more options than just military action. Israel will continue at least as long as the US is supplying weapons.
But the US can't/won't pick up and move it's military bases every time the winds shift and someone else is committing atrocities.
I personally agree that I wish we were more selective with whom we form alliances. It's not like Israel just started abusing Palestine last year anyways. That's just not how foreign policy works today. There are other models that could be used, but the US isn't likely to do so unilaterally. Right now, every country in the world makes foreign policy decisions based almost exclusively on their own interests and to maximize their power and influence.
Yes, I also agree the US can and should be doing more to pressure Netanyaho. Even in the current foreign policy landscape it's pretty obvious that this genocide does not serve US interests. Biden is unfortunately a relic of the 80s/90s and is honestly not the president we should have elected. He's miles better than Trump (who's policies helped ignite this "war"), but that's a low bar