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The Geopolitical Situation of the Jewish People

[Sandbox] Martin Kramer - The geopolitical situation of the Jews hasn't ever been stable. Seventy years ago, the Jewish world was centered in Europe. Today the U.S. and Israel are the poles of the Jewish world, because some Jews sensed tremors before the earthquake. When the earth opened up and Europe descended into the inferno, parts of the Jewish people already had a Plan B in place. We are living that Plan B. Today the Jewish people has one foot planted in a Jewish sovereign state, and the other in the world's most open and powerful society. Jews had sovereignty before, in antiquity, but they did not have a strategic alliance with the greatest power on earth. Of course we would like an improvement in Israel's standing with some of its neighbors - what dreamers call "peace." Five long-term trends could erode the status quo: U.S. influence in the Middle East could wane. Europe could be subtracted from the sum power of the West. Iran could gain regional power status and become Israel's regional rival. The Arab states around us could succumb to their lack of legitimacy and Israel could find itself opposite not one Hizbullah but many. The Palestinians may not have the cohesion necessary to translate their identity into nation-statehood. We should recognize that the status quo in the Middle East won't last indefinitely, and we have to plan accordingly.
2007-04-27 01:00:00
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