[Ynet News] Ron Ben-Yishai - If Obama will be good for America, Israel will benefit as well. Since Israel's establishment, all American presidents were ultimately pro-Israeli, because of the shared values and the deep involvement of American Jews in American politics. Yet what is truly important to Israel's security are the economic power and military-strategic determination that America conveys, as well as its position as a superpower on the global stage, as Israel benefits from an American deterrence umbrella. The U.S. also grants Israel a logistic-military safety net, which has already stood the test even during the terms of less sympathetic presidents, such as Richard Nixon and George Bush Sr. Israel's strategic situation improves the greater the power America conveys in the international arena. As America's status as a global power is mostly affected by its economic and technological power, the next president's ability to address the financial crisis in the U.S. is of critical importance for Israel too. The next president will be good for Israel should he be able to restore his country's economic and diplomatic power, extract its army from the Iraqi quagmire, and leverage his election victory in order to unite the American people behind his policies.
2008-11-06 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive