Israel stays on in the 20th century not noticing the millennial change

Very simple change: in the 20th century Israel's military aggression and occupation was at the expense of Arabs and to the benefit of Israelis, now in the 21th century it is the other way around. But Israel doesn't want even to see this, like an ostrich with its head in the sand. (here meant by Israel is its politically powerful elites, not its people. Ideologically, politically, economically even morally they - Israel political elites - want to remain in in the 20 century, but the reality hastens to disappoint them: this 'old rusty bicycle' of the war-and-xenophobia-based national mendacious ideology, policy-making, parasitic war-subsidy-driven economy from now on will more take (for 'repairs') than allow the nation to ride ahead like it was in the last century.
What changed for Israel at the beginning of the new century? Very simple: during decades of the second half of the 20th century Israel kept all the status-quot - sprawling occupation of Palestine and the endless smouldering war (whether it be war of weapons or threats or words) supporting its militaristic political and economic vital structure - AT THE EXPENSE OF PALESTINIANS and other peoples (including American taxpayers) and to the apparent economic and political benefit of Israel itself. Israel did it through sham peace negotiations and other kinds of political charade without ever bothering to make this charade look very truthful.
But Israel didn't notice one 'small' change: with the beginning of the 21th century the situation diametrically changed to the opposite: now every extra minute which Israel tries to linger in the 20th century goes AT THE EXPENSE of Israelis, their children and their future and TO THE BENEFIT of Palestinians and other Arabs. In this context a great change has come to the US - big brother of Israel - too - the same change: all the policy of American influence in the Middle East through support of Israel and support of dictators in the region brought apparent dividends to the US and was largely at the expense of Arab nations, but now the situation has changed diametrically to the opposite. But the difference is that America - at least starting from Obama's administration - seems, at least partly, to understand this problem and to start the transition and adaptation to the new realities of the 21th century.
But Israel is another story. Election of 'a dinosaur' like Binyamin Netanyahu as PM at a time when the task of belated well overdue reforms and transition even for most progressive and talented politicians posed a huge, painfully difficult challenge, was a real CATASTROPHE. Instead of at least running on the spot, Israel voted in a man not even from the 20th century, but almost from the 19th, just at the moment when for Israel a gulp of 'fresh air', a minimum life-supporting momentum was as necessary as life, just keep the movement ahead or at least not to fall behind too much. It was like taking pills for high blood pressure when actually having low pressure. I couldn't agree more with Mrs Tzipi Livni who flat out pointed out, that Netanyahu Govt brought Israel to a real disaster and to a never-seen-before isolation on the world arena.
Since in the 20th century Israel (with a great participation of the US) made the above status quot an existential feature of its economy and political life (this everlasting war became an absolute political and economic necessity, it became an integral condition for supporting national self-identity, compass of the collective national moral, a part of national ethos and ideology in generations), the above change and the problems ensuing too can be existential.
I hope that Israelis - especially young ones - will soon realize (before it's too late) that the main existential threat to Israel in the 21th century is posed by Israel and Israel itself only! If someone can destroy Israel it is Israel itself. Not guns, or bombs are now the main threat, but bad RELATIONS and lack of critical thinking. Israel can in this sense become a victim of its own guns and bombs - militaristic mentality and way of life. And this threat, unpleasant as it may appear to the younger generation to recognize, has been created, nursed and fostered by their parents and grandparents during the second half of the 20th century and the first decade of the 21th. In this sense, the 20th century generation of Israelis in large measure have lived economically and politically at the expense of their children and grand children borrowing from the future generations.
But now the main thing is to understand and recognize that this 'old comfortable bike', on which Israel teenage state joyfully and self-confidently rode through the 20th century,  stopped working and will never start again as in the past. Now, on the contrary, by the minute this old bike requires more and more for repairs and doesn't give a penny in return - neither economically, nor socially, nor politically etc. Now its Israel and Israelis who PAY for the military nationalism adventures (of the medieval type). Now it is America who pay for its Middle East adventures - the past and present ones. But America seems to have already realized this deplorable fact, whereas its teenager (spoiled rotten by America during decades) doesn't seem to have even begun to suspect that something is not as ever...
Of course, partly the success of Israel, as a quasi-state which cannot be considered a fully independent entity economically and politically even now, depends heavily on the US policy. Big brother US did Israel a terrible disservice in fact. I really hope that Obama or next presidents will be able once and for all openly to put an end to this absolutely obsolete and unjustified type of relationship with Israel - giving it absolute impunity and not letting it to account for its action like any other sovereign country before international community for it's actions. This unconditional friendship policy for the last several decades cost Israeli people, American people and the rest of the world thousands up on thousands of lives (directly and indirectly) and billions upon billions of dollars (in direct and indirect economic losses and expenditures). The human cost is can hardly be estimated. Yes the US must remain friends with Israel but this relationship must be an adult one.

WHAT AWAITS ISRAEL IF IT DOESN'T CHANGE?
In short, nothing good. I'm afraid you don't have to be Cassandra to predict some of the negative things that can be round the corner:
1. Young talented Israelis will continue to drain from Israel in ever increasing quantities. Brain drain - as simple as that (already now non-native Israelis are emigrating in alarming numbers, and the number of native young Israelis emigrating is significantly above the zero mark: see on this topic). This will take place not only because of the fundamentally flawed military-based economic system, but also because of the loss of belief in the future of the country - moral and trust hazard.
2. Demographic balance will continue to tip in favor of the Arab population - again, not only because of the economic factor, but because of the loss of belief in and hope for the future.
These problems could be increasingly exacerbated by a third factor which is not discussed very much, if at all: the Jews beyond Israel will be increasingly reluctant to give their support to Israel (economic as well as political support), because the younger generation of the American Jews (as well as those who live in countries other than the US) is not so ready to UNCONDITIONALLY identify themselves with the Jewish community in Israel and to UNCONDITIONALLY give their support to Israel. This young generation of the American Jews are much more pragmatic, liberal and critical in their ways. Conservatism is no longer in fashion like it was before, and such 'dinosaurs' like Benjamin Netanyahu - their rhetoric and policies - don't add up too much to closing this potentially opening rift between Israeli and Non-Israeli Jews and Israeli emigrants.
Israel will have to chose whether it wants to stay in the 20th century or even go back in time to middle ages with the chosen ethnicity-based model feeding on militaristic nationalism, or it wants a modern civil rights-based democracy, because these two ideologies and models are intrinsically INCOMPATIBLE. You just can't have them both. The sooner Israel recognizes this problem the better chances it has to stop the negative tendency. 

See also on the topic of Israel policy:
On Iran nuclear: http://dr-world.blogspot.com/2011/09/israel-stays-on-in-20th-century-not.html
On UN legitimization of Palestine: http://dr-world.blogspot.com/2011/09/palestine-turned-to-un-why-not-long.html
America's policy change towards Israel: http://dr-world.blogspot.com/2011/03/obamas-change.html

Palestine turned to UN: why not long before?

It is only surprising why Palestine haven't applied for statehood with the UN long long before with the full right and grounds to do so... Why is UN is here if not for this? To be honest, to grant a recognition to Palestine on the part of UN nation would be a much more legal and legitimate act than recognition of Kosovo or Libyan rebel government. So the procedure should have been initiated long ago and it is not a question weather it will succeed formally at once, it is a very important step to show that independence of Palestine is not a question of STRIKING A DEAL with Israel and that Israel being an AGGRESSOR AND OCCUPANT is a fact regardless of any deals or negotiations. The conflict between rapist and and his victim is not and cannot be a matter of bilateral negotiation between those two, especially with an involvement of a powerful friend of the rapist as a mediator - a friend, who supplies weapons for the rape. Independence and self-determination of Palestinian nation must be business of international community and intl. law ONLY, not one of an interested occupant party and its prejudiced friends like US (the number of those friend actually has dropped to and become limited to the US only till this moment). Likewise the role of Israel in the eyes of international community must be changed from just that of a party of 'civil matter negotiations' - someone like a strict father who is ostensibly to give some property to his bad son if he behaves - to an involved criminal usurper, for which all those negotiations are no more than a set of unrealizable conditions which a blackmailer gives to his victim just to continue the game and keep the victim from full despair and turning to the police. World community too after half a century of the Israeli occupation must come to its senses have the courage to recognize the difference between 'negotiations mistakes' and 'rape', between 'family quarrel' and 'child abuse' etc.
In other words it has become the case very long before now that the Israel-Palestine question has ceased to be an internal question of two parties, just like the question of Serbia and Kosovo or Turks and Greeks on Cyprus, Gaddafi and rebel government or any question of a raper and a victim - it CANNOT BE CONSIDERED ANY MORE and internal bilateral question - its the business of international community to decide. And the application for sovereignty by Palestine to UN must have been done long ago just to fix, to formally REGISTER the state of things, to make a formal statement that Palestine is raped AGAINST her wishes and this cannot be considered a 'usual family quarrel' any more

911 anniversary: terrorists celebrate victory

With great sadness one should recognize that the 9/11 attack on America by terrorists brought them a major victory beyond any expectations, if the results are to be judged critically.
Anti-American terrorists achieved their single most important goal: to TERRORIZE the USA, to force America with the power of fear and panic to change her ways, to act irrationally, to dent her own values, to kill even more American people in the form of American boys and girls in uniform, to forfeit her reputation and disfigure her image in the eyes of the whole world, to lose much of her weight and power because of weakening her international standing, to cripple the USA economically through an unprecedented, unbearable burden of war-related costs and lost momentum in the civil reinvestment, reforms and development, to mar her moral image and leadership in the eyes even the closest of her allies in the West.
Hardly ever could Osama and other terrorists have dreamed in their sweetest dreams that the killing of 3000 people at World Trade Center would be 'supplemented' by killing yet another 5000 American girls and boys in uniform; that the US get involved in two major wars at once; that the Americans would give in to panic so much that allow such 'pathological men' like Bush to rule 2 terms and to do the terrorist's work - intimidating people - for them; that Patriotic acts and other 'laws, Guantanamo, anti-Muslim hysteria in the American society would damage the very pillar of American liberal and humane values; that the corruption decay in power would bring such vermin like Dick Cheney, Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz to the highest positions of power, making the head of state not only the first mentally handicapped president of the USA for the first time in its history, but also bringing the rule of the superpower to the brink of being a puppet state. Hardly ever did the terrorists imagined that the ruling political elites would substitute for them and complete their task of terrorizing of America: they got a multiplier effect of unseen proportions in a case, where American Government happened to be a partner in the crime of terrorism, who just finished the task to an absolute ugly perfection.
Unfortunately its very very hard to assess the true 'cosmic' scale of the damage caused by the attack of 911  - precisely because its main aim of terrorizing of the American population and elites has been achieved, and the great country lost its ability to think RATIONALLY and CRITICALLY. Symbolically the terrorists could hardly have dared to hope that America wouldn't restore the twins to the former splendor, magnificence and beauty, demonstrating her real spiritual resistance, invulnerability and stubbornness: in contrast it was decided to make at this place a kind memorial to perpetuate the festering wound for many years ahead, demonstrating not the resilience, but the scale of damage and tragedy inflicted by those terrorists butchers. 
Having said that, I would also remind of the role of American Government in the incident. While there's no doubt that the terrorists acts were organized and executed by radical fundamentalists, the question of what the American Government KNEW before and whether it really WANTED to do everything in its power to prevent this attack is still a very big and important question. Unlike conspiracy theorists, who always blame governments in direct organization of some crimes against their nations, in reality governments DON'T NEED to do this to satisfy their interests: they just allow something to happen with a higher probability because of the knowledge and delayed reactions - something induced by the 'external' circumstances and forces. There's still a hell of a lot of questions about the role of the American government from this standpoint as well as about the 'selfless' hunt for Bin Laden, who, as everyone knew, had been sitting in Pakistan for many years, but was killed a year before reelection of the US president.
I hope that the American People will finally get to grips with their political Augean stables of their house and clean them. I hope that American people will really start fighting, not breeding, terror; and it will be done not by criminal opportunists like Cheney, not by the bull-headed blood-thirsty generals, but by PROFESSORS and SCIENTISTS in sociology, psychology and other fields.

Note about the US pressure on Assad in Syria

Comment of Washington about necessity for Assad to go is something rather irrelevant and unhelpful, and not because Syria wouldn't be better without Assad (maybe), but because the moral authority of the US over the region where it deliberately had fostered, cherished and weaponized dictators (and continue to do so in Bahrein, Saudi Arabia, Yemen etc, despite the situation there is not so different from Syria) is virtually ZERO! They, Washington, just now trying not to fall behind the actual events and all their comments directed not at actual help to Syrians but to saving their own face, though I don't see what there is left to be saved... http://dr-world.blogspot.com/2011/03/some-extra-about-moral-political-crisis.html
1st stage of enlightenment: I understood that USA never ever in its recent history has been interested in spreading democracy round the world. 2nd stage of enlightenment: I understood that US has always actively been interested in the opposite - containment of democratic development in other parts of the world. What Syria changes? Why not to talk about Bahrein, Azerbaidjan, Uzbekistan, the 'pet' Yement etc etc etc? My foot, the USA talking about Assad bad guy - fancy that! And lecture Europe on how to abstain from... buying oil from Syria!! All comics and satirical writers can retire, they are not needed any more!

A note about India disparity and corruption problems

The problem is still the same: India like many other countries tried to build its state and country after the very obsolete and semi-democratic capitalistic model of the USA, which belongs to 19th century and gives the Americans themselves a hell of a lot of problems nowadays. But India (and other young democracies, for example in Eastern Europe) would better follow the example of much more advanced and modern democracies like Finland, Sweden etc. Then if India had done so she would have had a chance to avoid all the 'bouquet' of problems which the USA had to go through in the past, and have a true democracy, not a class-based semi-democracy, that has come to a very serious moral, ideological and economic crisis.
The same goes for Egypt: if (and that's a big if) it's revolution should be successful in the foreseeable future, by no means should Egypt step on the same 'mine' and try to mimic American model. Nothing could be more terrible than this. Learn from Scandinavia, or, at least, from Germany and South Korea.

About the probability of success of Egypt's revolution

I really doubt that so far a real revolution has taken place in Egypt - no hard proof of that, alas. There occurred the toppling of Mubarak's regime by the military, who used popular support and the moment. I don't understand at all where all this infatuation with and enthusiasm for the military many Egyptian people feel comes from, since the military have never ever been a great fan of democracy, almost by definition - like a wolf playing the role of a custodian of a flock of ship.  Conscious revolutionaries would never ever have let the military get into power, let alone stay there as a 'temporary' guarantor of democracy. Military as a guarantor of democracy! Ha ha- the shortest funny story I've ever heard of. The military has been built and created for absolutely different purposes - to KILL PEOPLE or to manage them WITH FORCE - military force at that, and defend the ruling regime (itself included if this ruling regime is headed by the military) by force.
Anyway, let's hope that this situation has a short-term potential of development into something bigger than a trivial banal military dictatorship.
Then first thing to do is to throw the military out of power and out of office ahead of their screams and, subsequently put very tight limits on their powers in the Constitution FOR GOOD. The same goes for the intelligence and other special services. Both - the army and special  services must not  only be limited but also made utterly transparent: no 'state secrecy' any more in the form it's been known, any info which is to be made a secret must be unrestrictedly accessible for Parliament committees and some other independent controlling bodies, preferable public and publicly controlled directly too. Parliament committees must have not only an unrestricted access to any info and activity of those with weapons in their hands, but also supreme rights to monitor and control the activity, conduct special investigations and make public reports thereon.
Second, politically, there needs to be formed PEOPLE'S temporary governing body with great powers and only this could promise a good start now and some fundamental change. This organ must be composed only and only of socially significant figures who have NEVER EVER had anything to do with either former government and parliament, nor with any powerful government agency. Who have never been in politics at all. The history of every member of such people's counsel must be accessible to everyone in infinite details from the cradle to the first kiss, including the every single movement to the toilet. Then at least two elections to parliament must be planned at once by this body, organized and fulfilled. Every candidate must be cleaned for 120%, any detail of his biography must be accessible publicly. Only and only then there could be some tangible hope that this so called revolution could turn into some concrete fruits and bring some irreversible democratic change. Court proceedings and huge criminal prosecutions of the champions of the old regime must continue non-stop PUBLICLY. Lustration must be done on a national scale, and be of an unprecedented proportions, scope and clarity. EVERY SINGLE EGYPTIAN who directly or indirectly was involved in or connected with the former political system must be known to everyone.

A few comments on Norway apocalypse

To protect a country from such scale bombing and shooting two VERY SIMPLE things must be done: BAN gun possession & ammonium nitrate (this type of fertilizer) free sale. I understand this simple measure, that means any professional understood and understands this simple thing even better. Any specialized Government agency - its specialized anti-terrorist and explosion professionals - have known this for all their life. What can prevent anybody in Norway from bombing Norway? NOTHING, cos anybody can go to the garden shop by ammonium nitrate and make as much explosive as he wants. Any specialist knows it. All those governments including Norwegian one have talked for many years about their cooperative measures and info exchanges in their self-less fight against terrorism, and none of them have answered the simple question: 'What has been done to prevent ANYBODY who wants to blow up the country from easily doing so with ammonium nitrate?' NOTHING have been done DESPITE that there's not a shade of doubt that any man in the relevant agencies at least a bit closely connected professionally with this sphere. understood and understands the simple possibility of making explosives and explosions at will at any place at any time for anyone. WHY?? And who is to blame? They know that it is possible and no obstacles were on the way for anyone to commit an explosion, but NO-THING has been done. The only answer - they, government, from the very first DIDN'T WANT to close this possibility, though they could do so in a matter of a day. The same goes for small arms selling, possession and carrying. Is it so difficult to predict that with the current weapons laws anyone can organize in Norway '911' at will? Didn't the Government understand it?? Of course it did. That's their cooperative fight against terrorism for you. That's the protection they give you for your money. That's the importance of 'anti-terrorist wars' they wage in other countries at the expense of your, dear Norwegians, LIVES and money. Get it, taste it and eat it whole!
Now of course atrocious politicians will try do the everything in their power to turn a psychological and safety protection problem into a political one, try cynically to derive maximum dividends from this tragedy giving an impression of their importance and indispensability, giving the problem as much political color as  possible, although the only political objective consequence of this is that Police and Government of Norway should be criminally prosecuted for doing ZERO in terms of REAL provision of safety.
Can a man out of boredom start a war against a whole country, just to get into the history books? Easily, cos technically possible - Norway, and because there are ALWAYS a small percent of men never valuing the human life as such. So many all sorts of shoot-outs have been in the USA and Europe, but the scale was smaller because the lack of planning.
Can a man out of boredom start a war against a whole country, just to get into the history books? Easily, cos technically possible - Norway. There will be lots of political insinuations, but it looks like the problem and motives are closer to the grim prophecy of the movie 'Natural Born Killers' by Oliver Stone.
But a question must arise for Norwegians: why do they hold & pay their police & army? Wage war in Iraq & Afg? To patrol Oslo after a carnage with serious faces and frowned brows keeping up the pretense of having control and caring for safety of the people? No attack on democracy in Norway: such things happen because of lack of democracy: lack of people's control over the efficiency of Govt agencies, incl army police and intelligence.
Fact #1: no police on the island
Fact #2: police arrived only... wait for it... 40 min (!!) after the call to the island! They fight in Afghanistan, Iraq and God knows where else as they as to bring the good and SECURITY to some distant corners of the world and nations, but when it comes to protection of NORWEGIANS they come in 40 min, give an allowance for a terrorist to go the shop and restore the supply of ammunition if it wasn't sufficient to kill all people on the island. My foot! Even in slow Australia ambulance by helicopter reaches any site of the continent in less than 40 min, including the most inhabited wild areas of the bush. They fight with terrorism... If anyone at all fights with terrorism, its guys like Julian Assange and Bradly, keeping in mind who are the main terrorists - people in power, who like talk about democracy, but who are very little controlled by too poor semi-democracy and who do everything in their power to keep in place the gaping holes and the doors open for everyone who wants to blow the nation. Why no democracy in operation? Because Norwegians don't have any control over the governmental agencies and cannot influence their effectiveness.