The Trouble With Allies
America Needs a Playbook for Difficult Friends
This week, Israel mounted large-scale raids into the occupied West Bank, where clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces—and often Israeli settlers—have intensified since the start of the war in Gaza. And without a ceasefire in Gaza, the threat of a broader regional war with Hezbollah and Iran persists. Israel’s resistance to de-escalate the conflict is clearly frustrating many in Washington.
The United States’ overwhelming power does not always ensure compliance among allies such as Israel, writes former President of the Council on Foreign Relations Richard Haass. Washington must learn the lessons of this past year—and develop a better playbook for navigating disputes with friends. “If success is defined as persuading Israel to adopt the course Washington wants,” he writes. “then U.S. policy toward the country since October 7 must be judged a failure.”
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2 个月When you absolutely refuse to use your power over your client states and repeatedly declare your unconditional backing for we whatever that client state might do - genocide and state sponsored terrorism, rape and torture included - you don’t need a new playbook you need the willingness to use it. That’s what is lacking. Common decency and respect for US and international law. Harris, like Biden, would rather lose the key swing swing states of Michigan and Wisconsin, and therefore most likely the election, than prevent the murder of tens of thousands more Palestinian women and children - not to mention US citizens killed by US supplied bullets fired from US supplied guns by US paid Zionist troops,