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[–] 125 points 2 years ago (6 children)

Fully agree, but have to add:

Most of the aid to Ukraine is actually just money for the US defense industry and military. They get to donate old stuff without paying for disposal and get money to build new staff.

The ROI on supporting Ukraine is huge. The US is eliminating their second biggest threat without sacrificing a single soldier and only at the cost of donating old equipment.

Israel, on the other hand, is more of a leech on the USA. They don't provide much benefit and they cost a lot of money and soft power. Unlike Ukraine, they have a powerful lobbying group to get out much more from the USA than would ever be warranted if they didn't hijack US domestic politics.

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  • [–] 50 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    I think you misunderstand Isreals role in the region, as far as US politics is concerned. As long as Isreal is a viable force in the region, They are seen as a knife at the collective Arab/Iranian/Egyptian throat. They act as a US proxy providing a counter weight to other regional powers. I'm no defender of Isreal, there actions, or Netanyahu, just providing another point of view.

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  • [–] 15 points 2 years ago

    I know that argument, but then you must also accept that acts like 9/11 are blowback and forever wars like Iraq, Afghanistan and ISIS are inevitable.

    The American people do not profit of off this modern colonialism.

    Just trading peacefully with the Muslim world would be cheaper and cost less blood.

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  • [–] 41 points 2 years ago

    “Israel is the largest American aircraft carrier in the world that cannot be sunk, does not carry even one American soldier, and is located in a critical region for American national security.”

    — Alexander Haig

    Like it or not, it's as true then as it is now.

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  • [–] 15 points 2 years ago

    Israel has a VERY strong military industrial complex and the US is a long time collaborator and customer. It is far from a "leech" scenario.

    Also, don't forget that we are getting immense amounts of research and testing in Ukraine. A LOT of our gear has never been (meaningfully) used in anger. That, combined with the reality of a modern war against near-ish peers makes those "aid packages" worth their weight in gold. The paper and the envelopes, not the crates full of javelins.

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