“Too Much Security”

President Hafez al Assad of Syria was invited to attend the anti-terrorism conference to be held in Egypt this week. He has declined to attend. Assad had also failed to condemn the acts of terror in Israel last week and continues to allow the political offices of HAMAS to remain in Damascus. Lebanon, as of this writing, has also declined to attend the anti-terrorism conference. Libyan leader Moammar Quadafi said that the terrorism will only end if Israel and the United States are destroyed.

President Hafez al Assad of Syria was invited to attend the anti-terrorism conference to be held in Egypt this week. He has declined to attend. Assad had also failed to condemn the acts of terror in Israel last week and continues to allow the political offices of HAMAS to remain in Damascus. Lebanon, as of this writing, has also declined to attend the anti-terrorism conference. Libyan leader Moammar Quadafi said that the terrorism will only end if Israel and the United States are destroyed. Iran has denied involvement in the acts of terrorism in Israel last week, but declared its support for such actions. HAMAS has vowed further bombing in retaliation for the arrests of leading terrorists in its organization. There is no editorializing necessary, the facts speak for them themselves.
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Dr. Dore Gold, Senior Researcher at Tel Aviv University’s Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, delivered a JINSA Gottesman Lecture at West Point on 23 February, as well as JINSA-sponsored lectures at the U.S. Army War College, the National Defense University, and the New York National Guard Association.

The Middle East Studies course at the Army War College in Carlisle, PA had, perhaps, the most interesting audience. Aside from nearly 65 senior level American officers, Brigadier Generals from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, and Egypt participated in Dr. Gold’s three-hour class on he U.S. role in the Middle east peace process. Comments from the Arab participants were largely, though not entirely, cordial, but generally expressed the view that Israel was overly concerned about its existential security and not concerned enough about Arab interests. Dr. Gold replied that peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors would never be better than peace among the Arab states. Therefore, he suggested, Israel and like-minded Arab countries might consider addressing regional threats, not simply bilateral problems.

The theme arose again at the National Defense University in a meeting with nearly 30* senior-level policy analysts from the Pentagon, the State Department, NDU and other Washington institutions, and Israeli and Arab diplomats. A Jordanian diplomat said Israel should stop insisting on “too much security” (reference to Israel’s presumed nuclear capability) and try to think of itself as a “part of the region” like other countries. Dr. Gold noted that Kuwait had not found that position at all comfortable.

In each place, the professional American audiences were knowledgeable and enthusiastic. At the War College there was palpable relief when Dr. Gold expressed skepticism over a possible role for U.S. troops on the Golan Heights in the context of an Israeli-Syrian government agreement. And there was general agreement that the level of American financial assistance for Israel and any partners in the peace process would be extremely limited.

A senior professor at the Army War College suggested that JINSA work with the Security Studies Department to create a visit to Israel for the American Colonels at the War College who will be assigned to Middle East-related jobs following their studies. We will keep you informed of the progress of that program.