5 ms·
* An excuse to subsidize the US defence industry * Improvements to US military technology (Israel tweaks stuff and then we use their tweaks) * Anti-terrorism
by endtime 7y ago
* An excuse to subsidize the US defence industry
* Improvements to US military technology (Israel tweaks stuff and then we use their tweaks)
* Anti-terrorism training and expertise (we started caring a lot more in 2001; they've been dealing with it longer than that)
* A liberal democracy in a part of the world without any others (whether or not you value this is up to you, but many Americans do)
* Intelligence
* A lot of American tech companies have offices in Israel, which means we have an interest in its stability and prosperity
- sa-mao 7y agoThe Liberal democracy value is highly debatable as shown by the treatment of the Arab spring as well as the strategic alliance with K.S.A.
- drak0n1c 7y agoIn terms of R&D - Israel develops military research far cheaper than the US military industrial complex charges, and the results are shared back with the US. Some examples are the Iron Dome missile defense system, Predator Drones, Stuxnet, and early cell phone technology.
- amitport 7y agoStuxnet? Any references?
- drak0n1c 7y agoHere is an overview. There are many news articles and even documentaries on its origins. https://www.csoonline.com/article/3218104/what-is-stuxnet-who-created-it-and-how-does-it-work.html https://www.csoonline.com/article/3218104/what-is-stuxnet-wh...
- nickik 7y agoIsrael is a liberal democracy? Really, pretty sure its a Jewish state. Pretty sure the leaders of Israel would agree with me. Pretty sure this Jewish states has direct control over a couple million Muslims that are not allowed to vote.
- dragonwriter 7y ago> Really, pretty sure its a Jewish state. Pretty sure the leaders of Israel would agree with me. Pretty sure the leaders of Israel have made it illegal, and the grounds for exclusion from the Knesset, to disagree with that statement. But it's not accepted to point out that Israel is a distinctly illiberal state by it's overt, foundational policy.
- drak0n1c 7y agoDuring Israel's founding everyone who was an established resident in the territories was eligible for and offered first-class citizenship in the new state. Local Muslims and Christians who opted-in have enjoyed more prosperity and political representation over the decades than any of Israel's neighbors. Many minorities serve as leaders in the government, military, and private industry. Israel's neighbors were the ones who encouraged Palestinian leaders to reject both citizenship and two-state solutions across multiple deal opportunities and instead opt for waging an endless violent rebellion. And when the coordinated wars were lost and the time came for offering aid, resources, and immigration opportunities - neighboring countries offered the Palestinians very little compared to the opportunities that Israel offers. They did not step up.
- nickik 7y agoYes the other arab states were morrons but there are millions of Palestinians living under Israeli control who not only lose their access to resources but also have no democratic representation at all.