Ongoing debate on who controls whom? Does Israel control USA or USA controls Israel? -Briefly
For an average liberal it is the “donors” in general, Israeli Lobby in particular influence the US Governments, for liberal left it is the “neo-cons”, or “deep state” control the governments. For Marxist Leninists it is the “ruling classes” which is gradually and admittingly spoken even by the “nationalist” experts of the USA in various forms; “ruling class”, “elite class”, donor class”. In many other countries there are political parties representing, at least in narratives, different segments of society. In US, however, both parties are the two sides of the same coin despite their narratives and heated debate shows. It is a “democracy” put on the stage in which people have only two options given them by the “ruling class” -which is defined by Finance capital who have vaster interests in Military and tech industries. In other words, people are invited to play in the “democracy” show for a day or two to select a “president” and “representatives”. That is the entire “democratic process” after which the show goes on with the presidents and nonelected government officials.
From a Marxist and Leninist
perspective bureaucracy is not “a kind” of ruling class, but a social class
serves the interests of dominant class. Bureaucracy itself does not create a
"value", but controls the process of coordination, distribution, and
consumption of the created "value" during and continuation of
"production" and consumption. Meaning that, they are responsible for
the preparations and implementation of “laws” in relations of production. Any ownership
of means of production by the bureaucracy through state, the control of the relations of
production and the “value” as a result of production, are all within the framework of a dominant class
interests. In that sense, governments are not the ruling class but bureaucratic formations in the
service of the ruling classes. “If the
political power in the state is in the hands of a class
whose interests coincide with those of the majority, that state can really
be governed according to the will of the majority. But if the political power is in the hands of
a class whose interests differ from those of the majority, any form of minority
rule is bound to deceive or oppress the majority.” (1)
I think there is no doubt on the
character of political power in the state and in the hands of which class as
far as the US is concerned.
In US, the ruling classes control
the government, determined its policy through non-elected bureaucrats holding important
key positions in state institutions for many years, elected and or approved by
the “ruling class”. As far as the “policies”, especially the “foreign policy” is
concerned, It does not matter who are the elected officials, foreign policies
are controlled and determined by these nonelected state officials and few thinktank
research groups like Rand Corporation in the service of ruling class. They are
largely called Neo-Cons (Neo Conservatives) . Neo-Con’s history goes back to 1960s.
Neocons control over publications, thinktanks, foundations, and government
appointments steadily increased during the 1980s and into the 1990s. They also have
pursued their objectives through international non-governmental organizations (INGOs)
which are funded to varying degrees by the USA. Very seldom the ruling class
members directly take part in the government, such was the case of Dick Cheney
and his team. Neo-Cons of ruling class consolidated their positions in entire
state structure; in entire state institutions. That ‘s why, regardless of which
government is “elected” through the “show” of “democratic process”, the final
decisions will always be the decisions of those non-elected bureaucrats making
sure that the interests of ruling class and the policies and practices are within the boundaries of that interests.
Proceeding from this premises, in
order to argue that Israel controls the US, one has to claim that the ruling
class of US, the Finance Capital is Israeli and/or controlled by Israel. In
capitalist world, the countries do not control the finance capital, but Finance
Capital controls the countries. Governments do not control the finance capital,
but Finance Capital controls the governments. Although there are some truth
that Jews may be a significant part of the Finance Capital at large, that argument
is at the borderline of conspiracy theory that distract the attention from the
class context and replaces it with ethnicity or religion.
Looking at the history during the unipolar world order, one can easily see that almost all the US foreign policy in regard to the Middle East was aligned with the will and demand of the Israeli government- ruling elite. That only proves that the US foreign Policy in Middle East is aligned with the interests of Israel. It does not prove that Israel controls or influences the US foreign Policy in general, but, only in Middle East specific due to common and conforming interests. Those who make the argument that Israel controls US government proceeds from the point of view of the interests of "country" and its "people" in mind when they make comparison with the assumption that government should prioritize the interests of country not the interests of Finance capital. In that sense it is correct ideally, but it does not reflect the reality. The primary question to answer for that reality should be who owns-controls the government domestically. The interests of US ruling class in many cases aligns with the interests of Israel, but contradicts the interests of American people.
In early stages of multi polar world we live in now, Finance
Capital of US cannot leave its fate to a country like Israel if and when the interests collide. For Finance
Capital, the calculation of benefit-cost ratio, not only in short term but in
long-term has to be overwhelmingly on benefit side. That simply means that in
case of a conflict of interests, Finance capital would not, and cannot hesitate
deserting Israel for its own short and long term interests. I believe that the
question of Iran, a war against Iran, will be a good example for this. We will wait
and see if the US Finance capital will take the risk of losing billions of
dollars, if not trillions due to a direct war against Iran. A war which may
facilitate the loosening of the grip of
finance capital in world trade and banking world wide. A faster gradual replacement of US financial dominance with
rising BRICS trade and banking could be a consequence of such a war.
For finance capital-military and
tech industry complex, any country, no matter how close relationship they may
have, is expendable if and when their interests are decisively at risk. Europe,
among other reasons, is an example of this fact. In this sense, regardless of how powerful its lobby in the US, Israel is not an
exception but a part of the general rule.
It means that Israel does not control the US, but US control Israel. US
lets Israel to carry out its aggressive, genocidal policies as long as they do
not contradict the interests of the US finance capital. We will wait and see what the calculated boundaries
of finance capital on the issue of the war against Iran, or the extent of an
attack by Israel to Iran. I believe it will only be within the boundaries of
the drawn limits by Finance capital, but the events may prove me wrong.
I believe that the claim ” Israel controls
US foreign policy” consciously or unconsciously, directly, or indirectly is a
part of a long “damage control” process. US is
increasingly being isolated from the
world due to unilateral, unjustified wars, economic sanctions, and its support to
genocidal war in Palestine. The repeated and wide spread argument that “the US
government is controlled by Israeli Lobby” is gaining traction among the US
population and there is a growing opposition to Israel. That argument
eventually may be used to shift the sins of entire US warmongering policy and
unjustified wars to Israel. The more that argument gains traction world wide,
the easier to convince the world that it was not the US, but Israel (controlling the US governments) who is
behind all those wars and murders of millions of people world wide and
destruction of countries. Will the
people buy that?
We live in a world where people
still believe that; Ukraine is winning
the war, Ukraine has only 36,000 soldiers killed in the action in the war, and
Russia has lost over one million soldiers.
We live in a world where people still think
that China is a “peasant country”. They make this claim while reading it from a phone or
computer made in China, yet they claim
Made in China is bad and would never use one. Considering the ignorance and
subjectivity, it is highly likely that there will be significant people who
will believe in that “damage control” narratives and with the ownership of the
means of mental production, entire media, they will make the people believe in
that lie.
The “damage control” process in
the long run may well turn Israel from special -exception to a "subject” of
general; an expendable one. In that
sense, I do not have any reason to believe that Israel controls the US but
their policies were aligned so far with the policies of Israel. It is not that
Israel controls the US, but US controls and uses Israel for its own policies
drawn by the policy determiners of finance capital.
Erdogan A
April 27, 2025
(1)Lenin, Constitutional Illusions
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