U.S. Diminishes Israel Role

A leading U.S. consultancy has determined that President Barack Obama has reduced the role of Israel and Saudi Arabia in Washington’s foreign policy objectives. Stratfor said Obama was instead embracing Iran as a target of investment and means to contain Arab and Sunni countries.

“The Americans want a stronger Iran to contain Saudi support for Sunni insurgents, compel Turkey to shape its policy more narrowly, and remind Russia that the Caucasus, and particularly Azerbaijan, have no threat from the south and can concentrate on the north,” the report, titled “Israel’s New Strategic Position,” said. “The United States is trying to create a multipolar region to facilitate a balance-of-power strategy in place of American power.”

Author George Friedman, deemed a leading defense analyst, said the U.S.

policy shift still leaves Israel in an excellent strategic position. The sole threat was that of a nuclear Iran, which has not aroused the level of the concern sought by Israel and other Middle East allies.

“From the American point of view, the [Iranian] nuclear program was not the most pressing issue, even though Washington knew it had to be stopped,” the report, released on Dec. 3, said. “What the Americans wanted was an understanding with the Iranians, whereby their role in the region would be balanced against those of other countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, the Arabian emirates and to some extent Israel.”

Friedman said Israel no longer needs U.S. aid. But the Jewish state was said to fear U.S. plans to diversify alliances in the Middle East to include Iran. “The Israelis used to be able to depend on massive wellsprings of support in the U.S. public and Congress,” the report said. “In recent years, this support has become less passionate, though it has not dried up completely. What Israel has lost is twofold. First, it has lost control of America’s regional strategy. Second, it has lost control of America’s political process.”