The romance of America and Israel

Bjorn Hallberg

Economist offers some half-baked, timid but still, insights. Well, I wouldn’t use the word plucky, but yes, the Economist has managed to distill something important.

Why is America so much more pro-Israeli than Europe? The most obvious answer lies in the power of two very visible political forces: the Israeli lobby (AIPAC) and the religious right.

But the biggest reason why Americans are so pro-Israel may be cultural. Americans see Israel as a plucky democracy in a sea of autocracies — a democracy that has every right to use force to defend itself. Europeans, on the other hand, see Israel as a reminder of the atavistic forces — from nationalism to militarism — that it has spent the post-war years trying to grow beyond.

It’s good for America that it believes its own lies at least. It’s a variation of the old “we’re all refugees from prejudice in Europe” story again. I have touched upon it earlier when considering Pilgrims and Zionists for instance. My own well-documented feelings of disgust at militarism and nationalism in particular does convince me there is some weight to the argument.

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