Middle East Mess

Henry Thompson

 

The US military is involved in Mideast police work due largely to failed policy. It is well past time to rethink the US national interest in the Mideast. The US Congress gives military aid to Israel in exchange for lobby spending. Israel spends about 10% of its national income on its military and can afford to pay its own military bill.

Most of the people now in Israel/Palestine migrated there following World War II. Jet travel to the middle east has made the stakes in the tourism business high.

The present uneasy borders were drawn by the winners of two world wars fought primarily over oil during the past century. The borders split ethnic groups into different nations. The mideast locals should be allowed to work out their own borders. For an example of how the locals can redesign foreign drawn borders, take a look at the recent history in central and eastern Europe.