The $36 Billion Bargain
Organski's message comes through loud and clear. Among his major contentions are that-contrary to the "conventional wisdom," which is hardly as conventional as he maintains-American aid to Israel has been based on strategic factors and not on domestic politics and the "Jewish lobby"; that Israel has in fact been a valuable strategic asset for the United States; and that Israel has been subject to U.S. control on all important issues. The case, made positively and virtually without qualification, is open to valid objections on many points; nevertheless, the book is a thorough and well presented study that has to be taken into account by others who presume to express themselves on this subject.
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Israel and Egypt's cold peace has turned arctic. Jerusalem and Cairo are clashing over nuclear disarmament, other Arab states' ties to Israel, the stability of the Mubarak regime, and the peace process. The strains stem from Israel's and Egypt's competing visions of a new Middle East, which they both hope to lead. With U.S.-Egyptian relations also on the rocks, these tensions threaten the entire Middle East peace process.
The USA should not make the same mistake with Syrian President Assad, that it made with Iraq's Saddam Hussain. "Assad now needs US favor more than the reverse. Yet he will try to induce Washington to pay him for allowing himself to be helped; this must not happen. US-Syrian relations can prosper only if American officials adhere to positions that are morally grounded and politically sound".
The real key to Washington’s pro-Israel policy is long-lasting and broad-based support for the Jewish state among the American public at large.

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