Mr. Netanyahu and International Affairs

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Fundación Kíos


Mr. Netanyahu and International Affairs 

While addressing foreign affairs, analysts commonly make the mistake of sustaining their comments only on bases like international law or morality.

Obviously, these variables cannot be aliened or neglected at the moment to assess a situation, but to undertake a strategic analysis , objectively and rigorously, those premises, although they may be genuinely well-intentioned, in fact, lead to lose focus on the events being studied.

This situation can be seen in several of the analyzes that have emerged from the speech delivered last week by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the UN, which calls on the international community, especially the United States, to mark an impassable red line for the Iranian nuclear program, and if Iran does pass it, that behavior would provoke a direct and incontestable global response, i.e. an outright military action to eliminate completely the Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear capability.

It is highly questionable the legal probity of Netanyahu's call. Likewise, it is not difficult to accuse this emplacement to the global community, as some of the State of Israel’s performances, old and recent, for being imperialist, abusive, bland and certainly immoral.

So, it is clear that under the perspective of the law and morality, the sole petition from who leads the Israeli government today is wrong and perverse. But the strategic analysis must consider, given greater significance to, variables such as geography and history. The latter, for example, allows us to clarify that when trying to foresee the future in international affairs, humanity in general is characterized by tremendous fail. Approaching the current problem between Israel and Iran, we ought to remember that in 1930, even after the economic crisis caused by the collapse of Wall Street, you couldn’t find a single analyst forecasting the rise in Germany of such a radical leader, to say the list, who would set as a goal for his country, not only to dominate Europe and the whole world, but to device a policy to annihilate an entire human category, among others, the Jewish people.

Perhaps Netanyahu seeks to implement a "holocaust in reverse" as some say. However, we believe the Israeli premier is a rational actor, like the ayatollahs in Tehran, that, due to the historical experience of his people and the geographical position of his country, is obligated to considered even the unthinkable, and that could be a regime in Iran, theocratic or not, irrational and willing to do anything to achieve its goals.

This is not a call for judgments of one side or another. It simply seeks to put in perspective the complexities embedded in international affairs. If those who observed and analyzed them choose to assume positions from simplistic platforms, actually, they would be doing a disservice to the understanding and resolution of conflicts that afflict humanity.