Hawks Portray Iran as Sole Concern of Arab Leaders
Jim Lobe and I have a piece on the IPS wire that looks closely at reactions to the belligerent talk of some Arab leaders about Iran found in WikiLeaks’ CableGate stash.
The notion that Iran occupies the sole spot of concern for autocratic Arab regimes was a quickly rising meme among hawkish commentators.
Here’s what we wrote on their reactions and why, perhaps, they shouldn’t be so quick to think that Arab leaders are not also focused on Israel:
Neo-conservatives and other war hawks, including those in power in Israel, have responded to those comments with barely concealed glee.
“[T]he most interesting thing to come from the latest WikiLeaks round is Arab world leaders’ being forced to come out of the diplomatic closet and declare Iran’s regime the number one enemy in the Middle East,” wrote Benjamin Weinthal, a fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, on the website of the National Review.
“In the Israeli media, defense analysts are concluding that the leaked comments vindicate Israel’s longstanding position on the need for swift and powerful action against Iran’s out-of-control regime,” Weinthal continued.
“The corollary to this is that Arab leaders very generally will not speak to Americans – though they will speak to others – about their fear of Israel,” Chas Freeman, a former diplomat who served as ambassador to Saudi Arabia, told IPS. “So the fact that Israel doesn’t feature in these conversations says nothing other than the Arabs are tactfully obsequious.”
(I’ve added the links and italics, which the wire does not accomodate.)
En Español
The Latest
From IPS News
- Climate Crisis in Mountains: Borderless Struggle for Frontline Communities
- Niger’s Military Coup Triggers Child Marriages, Sex Work in Neighboring Countries
- Gaza Teetering on the Brink of Mass Starvation
- Harnessing Science-Policy Collaboration: The Vital Role of IPBES Stakeholders in Achieving Global Nature Targets
- AI Policy Can’t Ignore Climate Change: We Need Net Zero AI Emissions
- Conditions Worsen for Belarus Migrants Stuck in ‘Death Zone’ on EU Border
- Another Climate Victory in Europe… and Counting
- By Sending Nuclear Weapons to UK, Could US be Fueling Nuclear Proliferation?
- Small Island States Fostering Effective Energy Transition To Achieve a Blue Economy
- Attacks on UNRWA Not About Its Neutrality, Says UNRWA Chief
- Online fundraising for IPS Inter Press Service at Razoo