I am a naturalized citizen of the United States of America. I love my adopted country.
I believe that the primary purpose of the United States government is to insure the welfare of its citizens and their progeny. Therefore, I see little reason for the United States to expend resources in interventions around the world (particularly not military interventions) because you never know how these can backfire. I think that contrary to current American policy, the Ukraine will be better off if we let Ukrainians work out their own government. I feel the same way about Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Syria, Libya, Saudi Arabia and the like.
I particularly don’t want the United States to get bogged down in savage backward countries like Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Syria, Libya, Saudi Arabia. I think Africa is by and large a hell hole, and contrary to Jonah Goldberg in 2005, I don’t want America invading to set things straight. I want no more disasters like Black Hawk Down.
I am a convert to Orthodox Judaism and Israel (the nation and the nation-state) are as important to me as God and Torah.
I often feel a conflict between my love for America and my love for Israel because I want America to ally with Israel, even though that may not be in America’s strategic interest. I know that Israel, like every sovereign nation, does things in its own interests (such as sell American nuclear secrets stolen by Jonathan Pollard to the Soviet Union to extract Jews).
I don’t believe America has any important strategic interests in the Middle East beyond a steady flow of oil, and that oil is less important by the day because we are finding so much at home.
I believe that the primary reason America is so closely allied with Israel is that Israel is a charity case dear to most American’s hearts (Israel was the land where Jesus walked and talked, etc) and that Jews have been superb at marshaling these warm feelings in Israel’s interests.
The more the United States intervenes in the Middle East, the more difficult it is for America to support Israel. Things get complicated when you’re trying to tell Iraqis and Iranians and Lebanese and Syrians what to do and these interventions raise the price of America’s commitments to Israel.
I believe that Israel is a bastion of Western values in a sea of barbarity, just as South Korea and Taiwan are bastions of western values next door to tyrannies who want to destroy them. I’m good with the way America has extended itself to protect all three countries, even thought that may not have been in America’s interests, but I don’t want America to take on more such charity cases. Rather, I’d like America to start pulling back.
