American Senescence and Saudi Arabia
It seems as if the United States (US) today is going through the same phase as Britain went through after the World War II, i.e. entering the stage of political senescence. Britain broke the back of its own empire during the Suez War, and American historians will record that the decline of American power began with its messy exit from Afghanistan.
Today, the US is stubborn once again and blaming Saudi Arabia, alone and not others, for supporting the Russian Federation in its war against Ukraine! Because it is working to keep the price of oil parallel to the value of other manufactured goods. But it pours out its anger only on it and not others without any rationale and justification. It is as if necessary to give sacrifice and take risks to please the eyes of Uncle Sam, as Britain wanted in the past. The US is not recognising that the time has changed.
Its European allies are complaining about the high prices of gas exported from the US to Europe. This grievance has become public in both France and Germany. It is on the lips of their leaders.
There is no explanation of it except that the current administration has run out of mind and perhaps patience. It is giving its people explanations of its economic and political failure by blaming the “devils” there in the desert who raise the price of oil. This is at a time when the land of the US is rich in many resources, including oil.
[By Mohammad Al-Rumaihi in Asharq Al-Awsat]
Israel’s New Right
Elections in Israel will be held early next month. There are expectations that a right-wing coalition led by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will win. It will expose the country to a political transformation which will not only limited to its confrontations with the Palestinians, but it will also sweep its institutions and the nature of the political system as well.
That is because Netanyahu will win along with extreme right-wing parties which share the agenda of changing the political system. They want to make institutions more flexible towards the expected Israeli policies related to addressing the demographic “imbalance.” The deportation of Palestinians regardless of their legal status, whether they are Israeli citizens or not, has become a regular item in public debates and political programmes.
This, of course, coincides with the rise of the right-wing in Israeli society, in addition to the expansion of the political role of religious extremists because of their high ratio in the population. A recent study conducted by the Israeli Democracy Institute pointed out that the number of this segment of the society Haredi, or Ultra-Orthodox is 1. 175 million which is 12.6 per cent of the total population.
It is true that the policies of occupation, settlements and discrimination against the Palestinians will continue, regardless of the ruling party. But the rise of forces which openly talk about deportation is a milestone and a threat to the Palestinians. They must take this into account before indulging in internal divisions and conflicts.
[by Mohannad Alhaj Ali in Al-Modon]
Compiled and translated by Faizul Haque