The Algemeiner article Israel’s Emerging Muslim-Majority Ally left me with mixed feelings. On one hand, to have a good relationship with a Muslim country, especially one that sits in the middle of the region of high interest to Israel for may compelling reasons, is a boon.
On the other hand, Algemeiner crowing about this achievement leaves one with some bitter aftertaste. Azerbaijan is one of the ex-Soviet republics that didn't make any gains on the road to democracy since leaving the embrace of USSR. The opposite could be said - it became one of the worst dictatorships on this planet. The permanent state of crackdown on civil society, the unbridled crony capitalism and corruption, the repression of independent voices and much more - in short not exactly a state you would be proud to call your best buddy, to say the least.
Yes, I know that politics makes strange bedfellows. However, in this case especial care is indicated. This romance carries a bad STD we'll pay dearly to cure.
1 hour ago
8 comments:
Yeah, like South Africa. Y'all are still being criticized for that one. But nobody, but nobody, allies with more dictatorships than we do.
Hey, somebody got paid to do that. We all gotta eat, as your fav American pol (LBJ) used to say.
She'll be a shining example of why Iranian women must not resist rape. Meanwhile, the Western left already is ignoring her.
Seems to be a curse, that habit.
And he was absolutely right!
Western left with its moral relativism can go to hell, as far as I am concerned.
Azerbaijan can be described in many ways, but calling it a democracy is not one of them. It is good that Israel has a friend in the Muslim world. As for the regime's brutality in repression, that seems to be typical unfortunately for that region. And if you are too picky about your friends, you may very well end up with none. It would be nice if democratic, tolerant Sweden was Israel's friend, while authoritarian Azerbaijan was an enemy, but that is not way things have worked out. Remember national interest usually triumphs all other concerns, except hopefully in cases of genocide like that which is ongoing in Sudan.
PS: As for Israel's unfortunate alliance with South Africa, that only came about after most African countries broke off relations with Israel during the Yom Kippur War in 1973 due to Arab oil blackmail. It has never been proved but there has been a lot of suspicions over the years Israel did help apartheid South Africa get nuclear weapons.
All this being true, it does bother me. In the long run it may be a mistake, but who knows - Azerbaijan may yet become a democracy, who knows?
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