"The longest-lasting impact is on the lives and families of Palestinians who are being killed, but in a geopolitical sense... we seem to be in the process of shredding that rules based international order... I really fear that the United States' response here is going to end up doing vast, vast damage to our own interests and... we go back to a chaos, a pre-World War 1 'might is right,' and that will be very damaging for our own national security in the longer term."
I spoke with Clint Borgen for the The Borgen Project Podcast to discuss the U.S. policies and politics that drive U.S. lethal military support for Israel including the electioneering and political fundraising that limit debate within the U.S. Government, as well as the history of U.S.-Israeli relations that has, until recently, entirely lacked the Palestinian narrative.
In a conversation heavy on military analysis, we discussed the various types of lethal arms that are of most concern in the context of Israel's operations in Gaza; Israel's use of AI in its targeting process; and, why the existence of tunnels under Gaza don't mean that anything above ground is 'fair game' for destruction. Turning to the Ukraine conflict, I explained how our opposition to Russia's strikes on civilians and protected targets highlights our hypocrisy - and why it is that President Zelenskyy has to beg America for assistance while Prime Minister Netanyahu feels so entitled as to demand it.
On the question of the pending ICC charges, I told Clint that "the point is not just accountability on the back end, it is also deterrence on the front end, and the knowledge that if you do take these steps, there will be consequences - and if you know there will not be any consequences that is a significant deterrent that is gone, and therefore leads to more malign actions and more harm."
We also discussed how I have been disappointed - but also inspired - by the inactions and actions, respectively, of former colleagues, and how the crackdown on dissent and protest at college campuses has only served to emphasize the justice of the student's cause and the support for their humanitarian movement. As I told Clint, "the clear, clear bias, and the heavy-handedness of this generation of political leadership, is only shifting the needle more."
But why does dissent matter? Why do student protests matter? "The U.S. has a vital role here... we have an immense amount of leverage, and the only way the U.S. is going to start using that leverage is if the American people push their Members of Congress, push their Administration, to take a different approach. That is not going to be something that happens overnight, but I think it is possible... There is a lot that needs to be done, and we here in America are the ones who are in the best position to do it."
You can listen to our conversation here: https://lnkd.in/eHT_uu4N
