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Source: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/07/friendless-in-the-middle-east-108920.html
Israel Seeks to Restore Deterrence as U.S. Influence Wanes
(Politico) Jonathan Schanzer - Iron Dome, a missile defense system developed and funded with U.S. assistance, has intercepted 90% of the Hamas rockets hurtling toward Israeli population centers. The Israelis are deeply grateful to America for this remarkable technology. But, meeting with several senior Israeli officials last week, I was also struck by their equally strong desire to establish deterrence in a region that grows more dangerous by the day, and where U.S. influence is waning commensurately. Every leader in the region knows full well that the U.S. is trying to extricate itself from the Middle East. They know that the current Gaza conflict, the ongoing Syria slaughter and other regional upheavals are a collective nuisance to this administration. The writer is vice president for research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.