Abhidevananda
2015-03-04 04:10:51 UTC
No doubt Netanyahu gave a rousing speech. But will the speech have as
much impact on the prospective nuclear deal with Iran as it will have
on US-Israel relations? And will it ultimately help or hurt
Netanyahu's re-election bid?
No one questioned Netanyahu's right or even responsibility to comment
on the deal. The only thing questioned was the time and place of his
remarks. It was a good speech. Who knows... Netanyahu might even be
right that this deal is not wise. (Until a world government is
established, we will go on walking through the minefield that is
internationalism.) But no matter how things turn out, there will be no
way to prove one way or the other that the world would have been
better off with no deal rather than a bad deal.
A few days from now, Netanyahu's speech before the US Congress will be
largely forgotten. In the meantime, Netanyahu returns home to a
country with upcoming elections and pressing domestic issues (severe
shortage of housing, increasing unemployment, and deteriorating
medical services). On top of that, conditions with Israel's most
reliable ally have now taken a turn for the worse.
Will Israelis welcome Netanyahu home as a hero and re-install him as
their prime minister, or will they usher him into political
retirement? To the extent that this even matters, we will know the
answer in a few weeks. But while this almost certainly was Netanyahu's
primary concern while standing before the US Congress, it probably
makes little difference for Israelis as a whole or the people of the
world collectively. Political democracy is all smoke and mirrors. At
the end of the day, the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer –
elephants romp, and the grass gets trampled.
much impact on the prospective nuclear deal with Iran as it will have
on US-Israel relations? And will it ultimately help or hurt
Netanyahu's re-election bid?
No one questioned Netanyahu's right or even responsibility to comment
on the deal. The only thing questioned was the time and place of his
remarks. It was a good speech. Who knows... Netanyahu might even be
right that this deal is not wise. (Until a world government is
established, we will go on walking through the minefield that is
internationalism.) But no matter how things turn out, there will be no
way to prove one way or the other that the world would have been
better off with no deal rather than a bad deal.
A few days from now, Netanyahu's speech before the US Congress will be
largely forgotten. In the meantime, Netanyahu returns home to a
country with upcoming elections and pressing domestic issues (severe
shortage of housing, increasing unemployment, and deteriorating
medical services). On top of that, conditions with Israel's most
reliable ally have now taken a turn for the worse.
Will Israelis welcome Netanyahu home as a hero and re-install him as
their prime minister, or will they usher him into political
retirement? To the extent that this even matters, we will know the
answer in a few weeks. But while this almost certainly was Netanyahu's
primary concern while standing before the US Congress, it probably
makes little difference for Israelis as a whole or the people of the
world collectively. Political democracy is all smoke and mirrors. At
the end of the day, the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer –
elephants romp, and the grass gets trampled.
--
Abhidevananda Avadhuta
Abhidevananda Avadhuta