The National Interest Has Gone Missing

The National Interest Has Gone Missing
By Lawrence Davidson, Reader Supported News

Reader Supported News | Perspective

An interesting commentary by Gideon Levy, entitled A Peace Crime, appeared in Haaretz on July 11, 2010. It focused on comments made by Bashar Assad, President of Syria, in an interview he gave to the Lebanese newspaper As-Safir about a week earlier. In the interview Assad said, "Our position is clear: When Israel returns the entire Golan Heights, of course we will sign a peace agreement with it." However, Syria wants the prospective peace to be comprehensive and durable. "What's the point of peace if the embassy is surrounded by security, if there is no trade and tourism.... That's not peace. That's a permanent cease-fire agreement."

To Assad's offer can be added that of the Arab League's Saudi Plan. In other words, there can be little doubt that if Israel wants peace with just about the entire Arab world it can have it in short order. Levy is rightfully frustrated that the Israeli press and political establishment let the Assad interview pass without so much as the blink of the eye. Levy protests, "How long must he knock in vain on Israel's locked door?"

Levy's conclusion is that, "Israel does not want peace with Syria. Period. It prefers the Golan over peace with one of its biggest and most dangerous enemies. It prefers real estate...." He is quite right, and we can complement this situation with the recent behavior of the American government on the issue of Iran's nuclear program. Last month the Obama administration had a real opportunity to lay that controversy to rest. Turkey and Brazil had, with the acquiescence of Washington, negotiated a deal with Iran to have its nuclear fuel processed by a third-party country. Then, Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton essentially double-crossed the Turks and Brazilians, and chose to push through greater sanctions against Iran in the Security Council.

It does not take a genius to observe that the pursuit of national interests, defined in common sense terms, would have led to very different behavior by the US and Israeli governments. But both failed to pursue such a course. Their doors remained locked. The question why is a seminal one. It touches on war and peace, and thus the lives of millions. So let's look at some of the factors that might go into an answer to this question - why was national interest not pursued?

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