‘US, Israeli Failures Caused ME Instability’

Barbara Ferguson, Arab News

WASHINGTON, 18 January 2007 — The failures of the US and Israeli wars in Iraq and Lebanon have undermined the deterrent strength of the Washington-led alliance while exposing the entire region to increased insecurity, reports an Israeli-based think tank.

The Middle East Strategic Balance, 2005-2006; an annual assessment of regional security released last week, concludes that threats to regional stability worsened in 2006, primarily due to the inability of the United States to stem the ascendancy of anti-Western, Islamic extremism.
“The Lebanon war actualized Israel’s strategic problems and instability, damaged its deterring image, and exposed IDF weakness in decision-making in Israel,” added the survey, which was written by experts at Tel Aviv University’s Middle East Strategic Studies Institute.

The institute also stated that the failure in Iraq hurt the United States’ position and that Israel had nothing to gain from the American presence in Iraq.

Authors of the report from the Institute for National Security Studies, INSS, formerly known as the Tel Aviv University Jaffee Center, cited Israel’s war in Lebanon, the lack of progress toward a resolution of the Palestinian issue; Iran’s progress in reaching its nuclear goals, the absence of significant achievements in the war against global terror and Islamic extremism; and the failure of American efforts to stabilize the situation in Iraq.

The report said the war in Lebanon underscored the problematic and fluctuating nature of Israel’s strategic environment; damaged Israel’s deterrent image; and exposed weaknesses in the IDF and the decision-making process in Israel.

INSS also noted that the threats to Middle East security and stability worsened in 2006, as a result of “the American failure in Iraq (which) has hurt the standing of the US in the Middle East.”

Israel’s fighting in Lebanon was perceived by many, friends and foes united, as an Israeli failure, noted the survey writers. The war also exposed the issues of Israel’s vulnerability and the lack of an effective solution to the Qassam rockets.

Israel suffered other setbacks this year: Former US President Jimmy Carter strongly criticized Israel in his new best-selling book “Palestine Peace Not Apartheid,” and a recent international consumer survey found that Israel has the worst “brand name” of any country in the world.

So perhaps it is not surprising that Israel — whose international image is of a country in continuous conflict — would engage in a serious long-term effort to reshape global perceptions of itself. As part of its “re-branding” strategy, according to a report in the Washington Times, Israel is turning to “the wisdom of Madison Avenue.”