The United States, Israel and the Middle-East!

 

The United States, Israel and the Middle-East!

Anywhere and everywhere, cunning is eventually revealed.
Whoever acts like a wolf, even in disguise,
Sooner or later, by his very nature, betrays himself.
Power and alliances do not change one’s nature:
Trying to play two roles leads to rupture.

In the region, alliances between major powers (the shepherd, here the United States) and their strategic partners (the wolf, here Israel) can create ambiguous situations. Despite efforts to present a façade of protection or mediation, self-interest and the true nature of power relations often resurface. Recent military operations and ceasefire announcements illustrate this tension between diplomatic appearances and realities on the ground. The lesson here is that it is difficult to conceal one’s true intentions for long, especially in such a complex context.

The strategy of the United States and Israel in the Middle East does not exactly correspond to the traditional allegory of the shepherd facing the wolf, where the shepherd protects the flock from an external predator. In geopolitical reality, the relationship is much more complex and nuanced.

On the one hand, the United States considers Israel an essential strategic ally, an “outpost” to maintain its influence and hegemony in the region. Israel, for its part, benefits from massive military, diplomatic, and economic support from the United States, which allows it to play the role of a regional power and defend its own interests—sometimes at the expense of other local actors. This alliance is based on shared interests, but also on powerful influence networks, particularly through the pro-Israel lobby in the United States.

On the other hand, the American strategy in the Middle East aims to remain the dominant player by systematically supporting the weakest adversary against the strongest, in order to avoid the emergence of a regional power that could threaten their interests. This approach, sometimes described as “divide and rule,” seeks to maintain a precarious balance and prevent any actor from becoming too powerful. The United States does not only play the role of a shepherd protecting a flock, but also that of an actor manipulating power dynamics to preserve its own position.

In summary, the United States-Israel relationship only partially resembles that of the shepherd and the wolf. It is above all a strategic alliance in which each defends its own interests, sometimes at the expense of other regional actors, and where protecting the “flock” (regional stability or Western interests) is not always—and indeed never—the absolute priority: divide and rule!

The pitcher goes so often to the well…
Take others for fools, and you end up a fool yourself.