Israel or NATO?
James Poulos ·
June 4, 2010 at 12:32am
James Joyner asks the awkward question. Not the kind of choice I'd want to have to make.
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Comments:
May '10
Re: Israel or NATO?
Our response would probably boil down to how much Obama thinks he and Democrats need pro-Israel voters. Aside from that, I expect he thinks our alliance with Israel is more trouble than its worth, based on his diplomacy toward them so far... though undermining allies is a far stretch from abandoning them entirely.
If Turkey follows through on their proposed naval escort of the next flotilla, Joyner's scenario seems like a real possibility. Would Turkey wait until after consulting NATO to strike back if some sort of naval clash occurs? Would Turkey's response change depending on whether Israel attacked only the escorted vessel(s) or the military escort?
I'm sure the OIC is whispering in Turkey's ear right now.
May '10
Re: Israel or NATO?
What is Turkey doing in NATO anyways? Clearly if they are considering a naval escort of a blockade runner, and generally support those kind of shenanigans, they are not our ally, and we should not be in a binding mutual defense agreement with them.
May '10
Re: Israel or NATO?
It's a sign of how far we've fallen in stature that WE are doing the handwringing in this situation. The inverse should be the case: The onus should be on Sarkozy, Merkel, Cameron and the rest to wrestle with the tough choice of whether to defy the Leader of the Free World just to indulge themselves in a little Jew bashing. Not so long ago, this decision would be a no-brainer: We lead; they brood. Nuts to this post-American world.